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Slide 1: Foreword by Mari Smith Mark L. Eldridge, Elsom Eldridge III, & Linda J. Parker PUT SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TOOLS TO WORK FOR YOU WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE OR EXPLODING YOUR BRAIN. THE 6-BOOK SOCIAL MEDIA SERIES
Slide 2: Pre-Press ‘Beta’ Edition How to Use Social Media to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert in 20 Minutes a Day Book One in a Six-Part Series on Social Media Marketing Using blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, you can position yourself as The Obvious Expert without spending a fortune or exploding your brain.
Slide 3: Throughout this book, you find references to companies that are licensed and protected under law as a trademarked, registered, service marked, or otherwise protected proprietary property. It is not the intent of MasterMind Publishing, LLC, or Obvious Expert, LLC to imply or suggest endorsement by or affiliation with any of these entities. How to Use Social Media to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert is not affiliated, sponsored or otherwise endorsed by; YouTube and the YouTube logo are registered trademarks of YouTube, LLC & Google, Inc. Facebook and the Facebook logo are registered trademarks of Facebook, Inc. Linkedin and the Linkedin logo are registered trademarks of Linkedin Corporation Twitter and the Twitter logo are registered trademarks of Twitter, Inc. WordPress and the WordPress logo are registered trademarks of Automattic, Inc. Copyright © 2009 MasterMind Publishers, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors or publisher (except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages). The Obvious Expert ® is a registered trademark of Mark L. Eldridge. http://www.obviousexpert.com A MasterMind Publishing Book Goffstown, NH.
Slide 4: by Mark L. Eldridge, Elsom Eldridge III, and Linda J. Parker Foreword by Mari Smith Introduction by Elsom Eldridge. Jr. © MasterMind Publishing, LLC Goffstown, NH www.mastermindpublishing.com www.obviousexpert.com
Slide 5: Brothers, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and innovators, Mark and Elsom Eldridge combine their knowledge and experience with the winning words of author Linda Parker to develop this 6-book series on the strategies of Social Media. Mark L. Eldridge, Elsom Eldridge III, & Linda J. Parker About the Authors Mark Eldridge is a visionary and innovator. He specializes in taking ideas and turning them into profitable businesses. Elsom Eldridge III is a businessman. He is an expert in making ho-hum businesses stop humming and start singing. And Linda J. Parker is a wizard of words. She moves, motivates, instructs, and inspires through the written word. All three are students and masters of Social Media Marketing. Students, because they recognize that business marketing is a study of a lifetime and the learning never stops. Masters, because they have invested the time to analyze and understand new media, learn the best strategies, sort the chaff from the kernels of wheat, and develop a plan by which businesses of all sizes can master and maintain an engaging social media presence in their marketplace.
Slide 6: MARK L. ELDRIDGE, is the founder and chairman of NetRevMedia Corp. and the coauthor of the business bestseller, The Obvious Expert. His career has included notable positions as Co-Founder & Chairman of a leading Inc 5000 internet marketing company and Executive Director of the International Guild of Professional Consultants. With 25-plus years of marketing and sales experience, Mark has produced over 10,000 seminars, involving more than a million participants. As a certified Social Media Consultant and Social Media Marketing Specialist, he consults with many of the leading companies and experts in the industry. ELSOM ELDRIDGE III CPC, CPMC, and Certified Social Media Consultant, is the President and CEO of Obvious Expert Marketing LLC. He is a creative executive who spent over 25 years in marketing and management, jump-starting productivity, growth, and cost reduction for a Fortune 500 leading retailer. Elsom uses his unique understanding of retail operations, brand marketing, new business development, program management, internet marketing, and new media to help companies and individuals create holistic social media marketing strategies that both function and soar. LINDA J. PARKER is a published author, professional corporate blogger, and advertising specialist. With a twenty-five year background that includes ad agencies, curriculum design, and years as a corporate VP, she is a freelancer by free choice, in demand for her skills at blending social media marketing and search engine optimization with enlightening content and copy. Three creative and passionate leaders in their fields … with the experience to recognize that far-reaching change is underway in business today. Energized to take on the challenge of helping companies use real-world tools to transition from old strategies to revolutionary new ways of interacting with consumers. And confident that through the power of social media marketing, no business is too small to carve out a place as an Obvious Expert, even against industry’s top dogs and high rollers.
Slide 7: Contents ABOUT THE AUTHORS ....................................................................................................................... IV FOREWORD BY MARI SMITH ....................................................................................................... VII THE OBVIOUS EXPERT..................................................................................................................... VII FOCUS ........................................................................................................................................... VIII SERVICE .......................................................................................................................................... IX VISIBILITY ........................................................................................................................................ IX INTRODUCTION BY ELSOM ELDRIDGE, JR. .............................................................................. XII SOCIAL MEDIA DEMYSTIFIED ............................................................................................................ XII CHAPTER 1| ......................................................................................................................................... SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS: POWERFUL … HIGHLY EFFECTIVE …& UNAVOIDABLE ................ 14 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING, REASONS TO GET ON BOARD ................................................................ 15 CHAPTER 2| ......................................................................................................................................... IN PERSPECTIVE, SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS NEW … AND NOT SO NEW ..................... 19 THE GREAT EQUALIZER ................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 3| ......................................................................................................................................... CAN YOU SPARE 20 MINUTES? HONESTLY, CAN YOU NOT? ................................................. 22 YOU CAN’T DO IT ALL; DO WHAT MATTERS MOST ............................................................................ 24 CHAPTER 4| ......................................................................................................................................... A PLAN THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOUR TIMELINES AND YOUR BUSINESS .................................. 26 BOOK 2: HOW TO USE BLOGS AND BLOGGING TO BRAND YOURSELF AS THE OBVIOUS EXPERT .......... 28 BOOK 3: HOW TO USE FACEBOOK TO BRAND YOURSELF AS THE OBVIOUS EXPERT ........................... 30 BOOK 4: HOW TO USE TWITTER TO BRAND YOURSELF AS THE OBVIOUS EXPERT............................... 31 BOOK 5: HOW TO USE LINKEDIN TO BRAND YOURSELF AS THE OBVIOUS EXPERT .............................. 33 BOOK 6: HOW TO USE YOUTUBE TO BRAND YOURSELF AS THE OBVIOUS EXPERT ............................. 34 CHAPTER 5| ......................................................................................................................................... WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE CAN YOU GET HELP .................................................................... 36 YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE ................................................................................................................ 36 HELP! ............................................................................................................................................. 38 AND MORE HELP!............................................................................................................................ 39 vi
Slide 8: Social Media Consultant, Speaker & Trainer, Mari Smith is the Founder of the International Association of Social Media Specialists. FastCompany.com calls Mari the Pied Piper of the online world, personal branding, & a relationship marketing whiz. Foreword by Mari Smith The Obvious Expert What should be ‘obvious’ is that being an ‘expert’ is no longer enough. In order to thrive in business today you have to be a sociable obvious expert. Or should I say, “You get to be a sociable obvious expert,” because engaging with the consumers and marketplace that supports your business is not really a task, it’s a privilege. It’s also an absolutely do-or-die critical process that includes both defining yourself as the go-to person (or company) in your field or niche and then using the social media tools so wonderfully explained in this book to help the world see that you truly are the obvious expert. But can anyone become an obvious expert? I think so—depending on many factors I’ve learned over the years that I’d love to share with you. vii
Slide 9: I was a diehard employee for the first half of my career from leaving school at a mere 15 years old in Scotland to 17 years later when I left to come to California. I had many jobs in a variety of fields. Then I got a taste of entrepreneurialism in 1999 when I came to San Diego and I’ve never looked back. But, I still had a variety of job titles and worked in a few different industries. It wasn’t until early 2007 when my diverse career path finally made total sense to me. It was as though every skill I’d learned, all my experiences and all my innate talents melded together into my current career as one of the leading authorities on social media marketing. It didn’t happen overnight; I like to say I’m an overnight success ten years in the making. So, since I’ve been leading the way as the obvious expert in social media for the past two years, what made all the difference? Focus First, absolute crystal clear FOCUS. I like to think of the word focus as an acronym for “follow one course until successful.” Though I could easily have bolted on any number of “multiple streams of income,” I chose to stick relentlessly to one area of focus, which was essentially a blend of my two passions: the world of relationships + the world of internet marketing = social media. I began with Facebook and became really known as the go-to person successfully using this top online social networking platform for business. I written up on FastCompany.com and they dubbed me the “Pied Piper of Online World.” So I embraced this playful title and began using it in all marketing. for got the my I love it when I know clearly what people in my community do because I love to introduce and connect them with their audience and potential clients. But I can only do this when it’s really obvious what the person does. viii
Slide 10: Service Second, I focused on coming from service, adding value, contributing quality information and building quality connections with no agenda. My motto is “relationships first, business second.” I’m a stand for best practices, proper etiquette and respect in all business matters, especially the burgeoning area of social media. I also love to build people up, compliment, thank and empower. In fact, I have a theory that social media has become so prevalent and successful because it meets the fundamental human need to belong. People want to know that they matter, that they are heard, acknowledged, and included. I also don’t believe in competition per say. Rather, I like to think of it as coopetition. There’s only one you. Just be yourself, because everyone else is already taken. Though you might get inspired by others or want to emulate certain role models, it’s important to cultivate your own unique style. Visibility Third, rather than focusing on the “mousetrap,” I focused on the “path.” What I mean by that is this: you may recall the saying, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” That is no longer true. You may have the best mousetrap in the world, but if you’re not visible to your target audience, you’ll go broke. However, by focusing on extreme visibility, leaving “breadcrumbs” and your footprints in all the right places, your target audience and extended network being feeling naturally drawn to you. They want to know more and start following you, interacting with you, and inquiring about you. I call this path “radical strategic visibility,” = essentially meaning you are seen everywhere by all the right people, in all the right places at all the right times. For me, I primarily focused on Facebook, then quickly included Twitter, three blogs and an array of related sites, tools, widgets and techniques. ix
Slide 11: What ends up happening when your focus comes from service and creating radical strategic visibility, is that your friends, fans, and followers start dubbing YOU as the obvious expert. Your message is so clear as to what you do, how you do it and who you serve, that your community can’t help but rave about you, do business with you and refer you business. They become your evangelists. Then you can really own that you’re an expert and have a lot to offer the right audience. You own this expertise not from ego, but from a place of giving, service, helping others. And, even from a place of “hustling,” as Gary Vaynerchuk says. You have to be willing to go the extra mile, put in just that bit more extra time, wow people with how much you care. Gary is the founder of WineLibraryTV.com—he’s the obvious wine expert but also an extremely talented expert in the area of new media too. Gary cares with an absolute PASSION. He’s also extremely authentic—he’s a “take me or leave me, no bull” kind of guy and I love that about him. See, you have to be willing to be super transparent in the world of social media. This is equally true for the solopreneur and the Fortune 500 brand. It’s important to your success that you’re seen and heard. You may even need to be vulnerable. If ever you make a mistake, it’s important to clear things up. Social media has really leveled the playing field. As Guy Kawasaki says, “nobodies are the new somebodies.” I interpret this to mean that anyone can become The Obvious Expert—you just have to be laser focused, add tons of value and be consistently visible. I like to say it’s not too late to become an early adopter—social media is still in its infancy. But you’ll need to hurry; you’ll need to hustle. This book provides exactly what you need to fully understand and begin to integrate and implement social media strategies into your overall marketing. Mark Eldridge, Elsom Eldridge III, and Linda J. Parker have done a superb job of trawling the online and offline world to bring you the absolute best of the best in social media knowledge and expertise. Read every word and then get into ACTION. x
Slide 12: I look forward to referring you business as The Obvious Expert in your field! And I hope we have the opportunity to connect both in the virtual world and in person. To your success, Mari Smith @marismith. www.facebook.com/maris www.facebook.com/marismith xi
Slide 13: Elsom Eldridge, Jr. EdM (Harvard Elsom Eldridge, Jr. EdM University) CPC, CPMC, is an (Harvard University) CPC, author, speaker, coach, and CPMC, is an author, speaker, coach, branding expert. Known as “the and branding expert. Known as Consultant’s Consultant,” he has “the Consultant’s Consultant,” co-authored books with Howard he has Dan Kennedy, and with Shenson, co-authored books Mark Howard Eldridge. Shenson, Dan Kennedy, and Mark Eldridge. Introduction by Elsom Eldridge, Jr. Social Media Demystified How much do I enjoy writing the introduction to a book series authored by my sons, Mark and Elsom III, and my good friend, Linda Parker? If you are a parent, you know the pride that I feel over my sons’ accomplishment, as well as pride in their many achievements in life. They have proven themselves to be thought leaders and innovators in the fields of entrepreneurship and business. I understand why they wrote this series of books—the need is enormous. And I see the tremendous value that the books offer to businesspeople today. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a consultant, coach, or involved in sales, marketing, management, or customer service on any level, you would have to be living under a rock not to be acutely aware of the dramatic changes that are occurring. xii
Slide 14: Ad execs in their corporate offices no longer drive business trends. Instead, consumers have taken the wheel. Business has become a matter of keep up or be left behind as consumers speak out and take control. Companies are waking to the new reality. Business is not in charge anymore—the consumer is calling the shots, and social media and the power of the internet play a key role in this transformation. Is such dramatic change a problem? Only if you let it be. Every businessperson is also a consumer. We’ve all been on the short end of a sales transaction, the victim of poor customer service, or frustrated by limited choices and a one-size fits all mentality that doesn’t really fit anyone at all. The empowerment of the consumer is probably long overdue and is certainly to be expected in a world where “business as usual” has been anything but usual in recent times. Now is a pivotal period in cultural history. You are witnessing change and experiencing both the opportunity it yields and the growing pains that inevitably ensue. If you are in business right now, you clearly see the shifting topography and you know that if you plan to be in business tomorrow, you must be part of the change. Great job on the book series Mark, Elsom, and Linda! You have created a how-to guide that makes social media manageable and maintainable no matter how demanding a person’s schedule. You have demystified the platforms and turned what feels like a foreign language into ABC’s and 123’s for using social media to build or grow a business. How to Use Social Media to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert in 20 Minutes a Day is a lifesaver for the business men and women challenged to march bravely into an exciting business climate, unlike any that has ever been before. Warm regards to the businesspeople of today & The Obvious Experts of tomorrow, Elsom Eldridge, Jr. xiii
Slide 15: CHAPTER 1| SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS: POWERFUL … HIGHLY EFFECTIVE …& UNAVOIDABLE S ocial Media … New Media … whatever term you use to describe it, consumerengaged internet content is clearly today’s hottest business marketing topic. Study the messaging that’s out there and you will find millions and millions of internet users agog over blogs and atwitter over tweets. According to the people “who know,” if you (or your business brand) is not clearly established on a company blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, then you are standing alone on the dock waving goodbye to a ship that has long ago sailed and may never return to pick up straggling passengers. But are you stuck on the shore? Resistant to climb aboard what you think could be a ship of fools? Maybe you are attracted to the idea of using social media for business branding, yet you feel that you do not have the time, first to learn to use all of these new internet-based tools, and then to keep them in play with any measure of consistency. If you are a sole proprietor, solopreneur, or business of one, you already make up your entire management, labor, accounting, billing, 14
Slide 16: advertising, marketing, and custodial staff (as well as any other chore your business requires), so how can you possibly take on an additional task? Even if yours is a business with a small staff of employees, as the business owner, manager, or marketing director, you are still hamstrung by the call to, “be all things to all people” within your company. Where will you find the time to learn and implement social media strategies, especially since social media doesn’t feel like any type of marketing you have ever done before nor is it clear how it could “Just like those of us who got ahead of the curve with search engine possibly contribute to your bottom line? optimization during the past decade, Whatever your arguments against using and were able to compete online very social media marketing, once you effectively against billion dollar Fortune 500 corporations, it’s happening all over genuinely understand the application and again, leveling the playing field for power of the tools, you will realize that those who learn and implement an the arguments in favor of using it greatly effective social media strategy.” outweigh those against. Very simply put, social media is inexpensive, targeted, Mark Eldridge and fresh. It is a great leveler of the playing field, enabling businesses of all sizes to interact with the marketplace, turning consumers into customers, and customers into lifelong clients. And perhaps most importantly, social media marketing tools provide you with consumer feedback of a nature and with an immediacy that until now, the business world has never experienced. Social Media Marketing, Reasons to Get on Board Regardless of your current thinking on social media marketing, common sense tells you that, if it works, it is an extremely cost-effective way to reach your market. Many of the tools of social media require only the commitment of your time, with zero expenditure of dollars or only a nominal expense. In fact, if you choose a fully hands-on approach, you could literally launch an entire social media marketing campaign without ever spending a penny. 15
Slide 17: Not only is social media marketing dramatically more cost effective than traditional forms of advertising and marketing, it is overwhelmingly more direct. Social media enables you to eliminate advertising’s “middle layer”. You are no longer dependent on advertising agencies, designers, and ad buyers to interpret and shape your message. Third party validation sources such as the Arbitron or Nielsen ratings, which may or may not have ever been a valid market indicator for you, don’t even come into play. Social media marketing empowers you to use the internet media you select; in the ways you choose to use them, with the capacity to adjust your strategy and your message daily, hourly, even moment by moment. But your common sense may also raise that nagging question of whether or not social media marketing actually works. Before you proclaim that you are too busy engaging new clients and growing your business to spend time tweeting about what you had for lunch, hold that thought for a moment. No matter what your specialty or niche, whether you are a plumber, an orthopedic surgeon, a government contractor, a retailer of sporting equipment or the psychic advisor to Hollywood stars, social media is already defining your brand. Your competitors either are involved in social media campaigns or soon will be, and your clients and potential clients are already there (waiting for you). Even if you have no internet presence and you are not participating in social media marketing on any level, your brand is presently being defined by this marketing stratagem. Whether or not you show up: Consumers are defining your brand by speaking out about your business specifically or your industry in general. What they say may be complimentary and positive or it may be off base and brutally destructive. Your competitors who are already using social media are responding to consumer feedback. They are also passively defining your brand, by proactively defining their own. 16
Slide 18: Your absence sends a message to your marketplace, proclaiming, “I am not paying attention to what you consumers think,” or “I am too outdated to be part of this.” Much like those technology-resistant businesspeople of twenty or thirty years ago who said, “I am not going to use computers” and today are living fossils, when a movement rises and becomes woven into the life fabric of a culture, those who refuse to accept it are quickly left far behind, standing in a very lonely place. You can continue to manufacture buggy whips because you think automobiles will never catch on, but brace yourself for what is going to happen to your business. Or, you can open yourself up to the possibilities this new marketing adventure holds and discover that perhaps there really is a great deal to be said for the advantages of driving a car and the speed and convenience with which it enables you to reach your destination. Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan In the current business economy, there is little room for error. You simply cannot afford to be the postscript or afterthought. Your one and only choice, if you are ever going to transition from overworked to overpaid is to become the top-of-the-mind, go-to authority of whatever it is you do. You must be recognized and accepted as the Obvious Expert in your field or niche and in today’s world, this requires you to put the strategies of social media marketing to work for you. Social media is designed to be user-friendly for the masses (including you). You can put it in play for your business with amazing ease and simplicity. Hands down, it is cheaper than whatever marketing you are already doing (although it is not a replacement for other types of marketing in which you may be involved, and which you will need to continue). 17
Slide 19: Best of all, using the 20-minute a day strategy taught in this book series, you genuinely can start reaping the benefits of social media marketing’s potential without spending a fortune or exploding your brain. Study the chart below to see how the 20-minute a day plan can work, and how the five social media strategies targeted in this book and the related books in the series all work together. To see the full version of the chart, click here: http://bit.ly/smschart where you can print the chart, and use it as a step-by-step guide for developing your own plan for social media marketing. 18
Slide 20: CHAPTER 2| In Perspective, Social Media Marketing is New … and Not So New Wow, social media … so how is this different from a bunch of kids on MySpace putting up photos and personal information that a few years from now they are going to deeply regret publishing on the World Wide Web? Well for starters, you are not a kid anymore. You are not going to be using social media as a way to ‘hear yourself talk’ or impress your friends. If you did approach “As the old adage goes, ‘People do social media marketing in this way, it business with people they KNOW, LIKE, would backfire on you as surely as it has and TRUST.’ There isn’t a faster way to connect with people than what is now done on all the teens (and adults) who available with social media networking, have used it recklessly and then as long as you use it properly with the experienced the damage that ensues. right strategy and position yourself as Your time is precious. Your businessthe go-to person—The Obvious Expert.” building efforts have to be targeted. You Mark Eldridge must be using the tools of social media in ways that are planned and defined, otherwise, you could actually be doing more harm than good! 19
Slide 21: Social marketing is not new; social media marketing is new only in terms of the medium itself. When Mr. Brown of Brown’s General Mercantile offered Mr. and Mrs. Cody advice on how to repair the broken lock on their gate, he was using social marketing to enhance his business. If the Codys needed extra parts to repair the lock, Mr. Brown knew they would probably come to him. And in the future, when the lock ultimately needed replacing, the Codys’ wringer washer needed a new hose, or anything else broke down on the homestead, the Cody’s would take their business to Mr. Brown because he had been so helpful, offering good advice and asking nothing in return. Later on, when Mrs. Cody told both her sister and her best friend how Mr. Brown had assisted them, Brown’s General Mercantile would likely gain three new customers, not just one. Now speed up this process dramatically and multiply it exponentially. In a fastpaced world, where people have too many choices and not enough reasons to differentiate one business from another, social media marketing puts Mr. Brown’s trustworthy, helpful, and friendly persona to work for you ‘on steroids’. The intent is the same as it has always been in interacting in the marketplace. Be helpful, personable, and approachable. Give people a reason to trust you and to like you. Reach out in ways that are more relational than just saying, “I sell locks for gates and hoses for washing machines.” The Great Equalizer Social media is your chance, even if you make up the entire ensemble in a oneman band. No matter what size your storefront, how small your staff, or whether you have a store or a staff at all, on the World Wide Web, these things don’t matter. You matter. The quality you deliver matters, along with your experience, your talent, and your passion. Most of all, your willingness to commit to building a relationship with your present and potential clients and customers, matters to them deeply. 20
Slide 22: Social media marketing is a powerful tool, a great equalizer that makes the voice of your small business resonate as loudly and clearly as that of your competition. Social media sites are platforms, or in this case a group of similar platforms. In a sense, you can pile one of these platforms on top of the other, put your business or company on your back, climb to the very top of what you have created, and then stand tall among your rivals and competitors. “The reason President Obama’s social media campaign was so effective was that his strategists leveraged all the key social media tools together with a combined strategy versus focusing on just one social media platform—you can do the same thing; use the same leverage no matter what size your business is currently.” Mark Eldridge 21
Slide 23: CHAPTER 3| Can You Spare 20 Minutes? Honestly, Can You Not? There are millions of Americans with free time on their hands right now … newly unemployed, they would give anything to be dealing with the demands, routines, and pressures of work once again. You decide. Do you have 20 minutes a day to strengthen and stabilize your market presence and your client relationships? “Just like every other part of your business, with social media you need to set reasonable goals and expectations and then track the results. Even in new media—the old ways of “Inspecting What You Expect” still apply. There are many tools available for monitoring how your social media efforts are paying off, just remember though, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon for long-term business success with strong relationships.” Mark Eldridge You may wonder how you, the small businessperson or solopreneur, can add social media marketing to your already overloaded schedule. You can do it, because you really don’t have any other choice. If you are working for yourself or in a small business, it’s a given that you don’t have much in the way of spare time. So no sugar-coating and no claims here that 22
Slide 24: implementing the best strategies of social media marketing won’t take up some of your already overloaded workday. But if you follow the guidelines in this book and in each of the other five books in the series, you can put social media to work for you in fresh, contemporary ways, even if you are a complete beginner. This social media marketing plan: 1. Works for both newbies and more experienced marketers. 2. Is effective for both small businesses and solo businesses. 3. Has distilled the most important information you should know about social media marketing into a 20-minute-aday program. 4. Lets you bypass the racket and misinformation coming from self-proclaimed gurus of social media. 5. Helps you shape your brand on a whole new level. 6. Introduces you to tools that are new and extremely effectual for interacting with your market, through approaches that are timeless. 7. Offers strategies that range from no-cost to low-cost. 8. Provides techniques that you can implement yourself, without assistants, as well as suggestions for how to find people to help you. 9. Helps you have access to the nearly instantaneous market feedback social media marketing provides. 10. Can be implemented in stages, as your schedule permits. 23
Slide 25: You Can’t Do it All; Do What Matters Most The books in this social media series deal with five of the top social media marketing tools: (1) blogging, (2) Facebook, (3) Twitter, (4) LinkedIn, and (5) YouTube. Businesspeople in some fields may discover that their consumer and customer base frequents other sites as well. Musicians are often drawn to MySpace while photographers, for example, may use Flickr. As you start reading the series, you will discover that each book goes in-depth, explaining the basics of how to use one of the five targeted tools in a quality manner to benefit your brand and your business. At the end of every book you “As a business owner you really only will find pertinent, in-the-trenches advice have two main priorities for making your from some of today’s Obvious Experts business successful: (1) Marketing your of social media marketing, sharing their business, and (2) Spending time on experiences or best practices. income producing activities. Don’t get The suggested pace is 20 minutes per day during your learn and set-up period and 20 minutes per day thereafter for maintenance. Even reading each of these short books will only take around 20 minutes of your time. them out of order. Time is money; don’t waste it on mundane tasks that you could easily outsource to a certified trained virtual assistant.” Mark Eldridge Soon you may find yourself spending more time on social media because you are enjoying what you are doing, realizing a return for your efforts, or feeling the “high” that comes when you connect with other people in a meaningful way discussing your area of expertise. You may have days you skip your social media marketing efforts all together and other times when you get ahead and “bank” your work for timed delivery at a later date—this is a good approach. You want to be consistent, but you do not want to feel tied to it. If your social media marketing projects feel like an anchor, they will quickly drop to the bottom of your to-do list and that ship you finally boarded will once again be going nowhere. 24
Slide 26: Keep it fun. Many of the people with whom you will be interacting will become your online friends and future clients. Some will be businesspersons, consultants, coaches, and solopreneurs much like you. Within this special peer group, you will discover that relationships frequently develop into a support network of businesspeople who exchange ideas and help each other along the way. Customer interaction aside, social media marketing is often worth your time purely for the information exchange it can provide and the valued business alliances that evolve. The more you delve into the vast communication exchange that social media offers, the more you will discover gurus, mentors, and role models who inspire you. Don’t be afraid to emulate things that you see that are working well. For decades, the advertising and marketing industry has praised originality yet modeled imitation and replication. Be creative to the degree that you have the time and talents to be. Never plagiarize. But rest assured that successful social media marketing never calls on you to reinvent the wheel. As Mari Smith points out, “Just be yourself!” 25
Slide 27: CHAPTER 4| A Plan that’s Right for Your Timelines and Your Business In exploring the social media marketing efforts of others, you will begin to see your own best direction and develop specifics for your plan. Some of the five tools that this book series targets will work better for you than do others. And while you won’t be devoting the same level of attention to all social media areas, until you put your line in the water, you can’t even guess where your fish will be biting. “Like any other effective marketing strategy, you need to have a plan. If someone just jumps into one of the social networks, without first assessing where his or her clients are and planning an engagement strategy, that businessperson will most likely fail to recognize any benefit from social media and is even more likely to damage his online reputation.” Elsom Eldridge III With experience, you will discover where your particular market and potential clients frequent. Here are three easy ways to begin to understand more about where you will be connecting with your market, who’s successfully reaching them already, and what your prospective clients and customers are looking to find. … Because where your prospects are is where you need to be. 26
Slide 28: GOOGLE ALERTS: www.google.com/alerts This free feature from Google lets you sign up to receive email updates on any topics you identify. You can specify what word or words you want to be updated about, and how frequently you receive these updates as emails. Your updates can be from web content, news, blogs, groups, videos, or all of the above and will provide you incredible insights about your brand, your reputation, your competition, and many other aspects of your business. Google even provides a cheat sheet to help you make the best use of your alerts: www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html VIRAL HEAT: www.viralheat.com While Viral Heat is a social media monitoring tool you pay to receive, it comes in a variety of plans, starting at around ten dollars a month. Using this service, you can receive an overview of the activity on multiple social media sites involving your name, your brand, or any other term you choose to target. TWITTER SEARCH: www.search.twitter.com What you may not yet realize is that social media sites are also search engines. And in the case of Twitter, a highly effective search engine. Every Twitter post worldwide is available through Twitter Search, letting you build a timeline of updates about any keyword or search term. When it comes to “trending topics,” Twitter Search means you are not viewing what a search engine has indexed … you are viewing real-time what is on the top of people’s minds. TWEETBEEP: www.tweetbeep.com Tweetbeep is a way to keep track of Twitter conversations that mention, your company, product, your website, blog, or your name— even if the tweeter uses a shortened URL. Tweetbeep is a free service with a for-fee component that adds additional services. 27
Slide 29: Book 2: How to Use Blogs and Blogging to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert In many ways, blogging marked the beginning of social media marketing as a form of web-based communication that was neither news nor advertising. The term “blog,” which is a synthesized word combining “web” and “log,” first began to appear around 1999, describing what were primarily online journals or personal diaries. Today’s blogs incorporate everything from a corporate dialogue centering around a field of business, to rants, news sources, aficionado sites, exposés, topical sites, and of course, the “Blogging is one the most effective personal diary blog. Blogs are used in a variety of ways by businesses to extend their brand. Blogs that permit readers to leave comments can become a forum of communication flowing between the writer and the readers and among the readers themselves. Blogs also provide a way for businesses to update their communication far more frequently than they would typically update their website. tools I’ve seen consultants and companies use to position themselves as the obvious expert as well as give the search engines powerful new fresh content to help move them up in the rankings. When you commit to running a blog though, it’s a commitment–that means continuing to do it long after you’re first excited about it. There’s nothing that will discredit you faster than a blog that hasn’t had new content posted for over a month–it’s basically stating, ‘Closed: Out of Business.’” A blog enables you to reveal yourself to Mark Eldridge your market, to show a personal side and develop a friend-to-friend rapport with your readers. You do not have to stay purely on the topic of your business, and in fact, it is actually better to blog and expand your topic, incorporating related news, opinions, and helpful tips or suggestions. A good blog is a proving ground. When you pack your blog with helpful information and in-depth facts, you validate to your readership that you are, in fact, the expert on this topic and very much in-touch with the world around you. 28
Slide 30: Besides laying a foundation for your social media marketing, your blog is the nucleus of your social media presence. All of your other social media efforts are put into place so that you can engage with others and eventually bring them back to your blog. You can (and should) energize your blog with multi-media by using it to showcase your Twitter comments, your own YouTube videos (and related or highly viral videos from others), podcasts, MP3 files, PowerPoint (using SlideShare) presentations, and any other media that adds dimension, texture, and interest to your communication. And when it comes to search engine optimization, your blog serves as high-octane fuel for linking to your other websites and social media sites. Think of blogs and blogging as a main course of linkbait served up with a large serving of juice to Google or other search engines to help move you quickly up in the search rankings. While there are any number of blogs platforms you could use (or build), Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular. Many claim Blogger offers the easiest set-up, but users who are loyal to WordPress appreciate the fact that it is highly search engine friendly. WordPress is available in a .com and a .org option. WordPress.com offers you free blog hosting and an easy set-up. WordPress.org is an option for a non-WordPress hosted blog, meaning that you have to arrange web hosting, set up your own blog back-up, and take care of other blog maintenance chores. But WordPress.org affords you many choices for upgrading your themes and your plug-ins, ultimately creating a greater usability, and even the option to edit your source code and database. While some of this discussion may be blog-gibberish to you if you are a blog novice, you will be amazed at how quickly you can be “talking the talk” yourself. 29
Slide 31: Book 3: How to Use Facebook to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert Facebook (www.facebook.com) may have started on college campuses (first used at Harvard University by its developer Mark Zuckerberg, who at that time was a student there), but Facebook is anything but kid’s stuff now. Consistently ranked as one of the top-visited websites and one of the most used social networks, Facebook functions as a tool that makes it easy to share comments (written on ‘The Wall’), images, links, events, and videos with everyone who is your “Friend”. Your Personal Profile is a place for you and 5000 of your closest friends (the cap on how many people can have access to you personal profile). But because personal profile pages are not indexed by Google, they have their limitations, so immediately start building your Fan Page. Fan Pages and Group Pages afford you more visibility and more options, including the distinction to give your Fan Page a customized URL (selected by you, once you reach 100 fans), reinforcing your brand and making it much easier to direct traffic to your site. Additionally, your Fan Page lets you send notifications to your fans and to target who receives the message—you can even target who you permit to become your fan using criteria such as gender, age, or country. While Facebook does not permit the kind of ‘decorating’ you see visually personalizing MySpace pages, there are more than 300,000 applications (apps) for Facebook enabling you to customize your visitor’s experience.    Facebook website to set up a profile: www.Facebook.com Facebook website to set up a Facebook Business Page: www.facebook.com/business/?pages Facebook website to look into advertising on Facebook (called social ads): www.facebook.com/ads 30
Slide 32: A Facebook badge offers a way you can share your Facebook information on other websites in a customizable format. On the bottom of your Facebook profile page, you’ll find a link to make a badge—it’s your way of sharing your Facebook page with everyone, even non-Facebook users. How to Use Facebook to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert takes you through the steps of setting up your Personal Page Profile; identifying relevant Facebook groups; setting up your Facebook Business Page, using Facebook to connect with your blog, dealing with advertising and Fan Pages; and a variety of other ways you can expand your use of Facebook, unleashing its social media marketing potential. Additional recommended reading from master blogger, Mari Smith: http://www.marismith.com/10-ways-to-stay-safe-on-facebook/ http://www.marismith.com/engaging-with-facebook-social-ads/ Book 4: How to Use Twitter to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert Although people use Twitter in many different ways, the basic concept is that Twitter is a “micro blog,” delivering instant “bursts” of communication. When you send or receive communication on Twitter, it comes in the form of tweets. Tweeting to your followers (people who have chosen to receive your tweets) is an excellent way to build a relationship and expand your brand’s identity. Twitter enables you to blog ‘in between’ blogs (even tweeting from your cell phone), giving you the impact of a sound bite by which you share news, humor, wisdom, encouragement, or just relevant factoids that your followers will appreciate. But followers are a debatable topic within the world of Twitter social marketers. Follow everyone? Follow no one? Encourage vast numbers of people to follow you? The idea of accumulating a massive body count following you on Twitter is a huge ego boost and in some situations yields tremendous value for reaching out to the 31
Slide 33: largest audience possible. But having a small number of Twitter followers, people who actually represent your target business market, can also be extremely beneficial. Some marketing strategies are best delivered by a shotgun approach where your effort is widely scattered but may not be deeply felt, while other areas benefit from a targeted approach where you zero in on a smaller mark and hit with more intensity. Twitter gives you the opportunity to choose which approach is right for you. In the book, How to Use Twitter to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert you’ll come to understand the rules and principles of Twitter. This will greatly help you discern the Twitter from the glitter, while reaping the solid gold Elsom Eldridge III benefits Twitter affords businesses and entrepreneurs today. You’ll also learn how to set up your Twitter page, what to tweet, when to tweet, and how to retweet. You will learn how to automate the business of twittering, creating greater outreach while requiring less of your time through the use of Twitter-based tools to multiply your effectiveness, make Twitter account management easier, and sort out the matter of followers and following. Although Twitter limits you to 140 characters in each message, those characters can be hyperlinks to anywhere you want to take your followers. Photos, videos, blogs, documents, websites, and even the text of entire books are all possibilities. Use a service like www.bit.ly to shorten your URL and track responses to your posts. As you begin to understand Twitter, its potential will amaze you and you’ll find it is one of the easiest ways to feed other aspects of your social marketing. Once you start feeding this little bird, you are not going to believe all the different ways it will begin to sing. “Using the real-time search capability of Twitter is paramount for any business professional who wants to know what’s being said about his or her brand or competition. Real-time search is the future of the internet, and one of the key reasons social media is here to stay.” 32
Slide 34: Book 5: How to Use LinkedIn to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) is a professional networking site. Where once consumers checked the credibility of businesses by looking for an advertisement in the telephone directory, checking for a company’s website replaced the phone book confirmation, with LinkedIn perhaps well on its way to replacing both as the go-to quick step for obtaining an instant overview of a businessperson or a company. A consumer or potential new business associate can quickly learn more about you on LinkedIn than in any other way previously available. Through the use of “Connections” you can build a network of other professionals who serve to endorse you and your work. But taking your LinkedIn professional profile to a higher level calls for some inside information. How to Use LinkedIn to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert shows you how to make your profile keyword rich and targeted to your niche. Here are three more steps you can take to elevate the social media marketing power of your LinkedIn profile: “Marketing is going through a revolution just like the rest of society. For those of us who built sizable businesses in the past using old media, we need to realize that was the past. It’s become self-evident with the demise of major local newspapers that interaction in the world has changed and those who aren’t using new media as part of their marketing strategy are getting further and further behind.” Mark Eldridge 1. Join groups; participate in groups; and start meaningful discussions. 2. Provide answers to posted questions and become recognized as an expert—maybe even as an obvious expert—in your field or specialty. 3. Integrate your WordPress blog with your LinkedIn profile page. LinkedIn is an easy social media site to utilize, and while it has a more narrow purpose than some other types of social media sites, it’s business marketing value 33
Slide 35: to you as a “cyber-endorser” of your professionalism and skills can be extremely significant. Book 6: How to Use YouTube to Brand Yourself as The Obvious Expert In many ways, YouTube (www.youtube.com) is one of the easiest areas of social media to master even though the idea of becoming a “filmmaker” can seem intimidating to some people. YouTube is the brainchild of three former PayPal employees. The very first video uploaded and shared via YouTube can still be viewed today: “Me at the Zoo” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw). The video features Jawed Karim, one of the website’s original founders. YouTube is an extremely effective way to communicate in the marketplace, to spread your message, and to motivate others to voluntarily spread your message for you. After all, there’s not even any reading involved here. Using a variety of techniques from videos you create, to videos you repost, to PowerPoint and Animoto, you can share your ideas with people you might never reach through your blog or other written word formats. But jumping into YouTube as a social media tool, without first laying down a plan can result in a hodgepodge of media all linked to your brand and sending a message that your business is at best “messy” and at worst, quite disorganized. So as you begin, develop a plan to utilize YouTube to expand your social media marketing, include: (1) What types of content and topics you will cover; (2) What videos or types of videos produced by others you will 34 “The self-proclaimed social media experts boast how it’s all about massive follower counts. The true fact is that social media is all about authentic connecting and engagement. A person who engages with his or her followers will discover a lot more value than someone who has 50,000 followers, but doesn’t engage—that’s why it is called “social” media.” Mark Eldridge
Slide 36: post; (3) Who you may be interviewing or what you may be presenting yourself; (4) Where you will post your video; and (5) What technology you will utilize in your process. “You cannot hide in social media. Be genuine, be authentic and be transparent! In today’s social media world, clients are going to research you in multiple networks, your profile, experiences and even your photos should be the same in and on all the networks you are on. This portrays a consistent and professional image.” Elsom Eldridge III 35
Slide 37: Chapter 5| Who Are You and Where Can You Get Help Your Online Presence If you changed your physical appearance from day to day, many of your clients and customers would not recognize you. They could easily walk past the man or woman wearing a baseball cap and a tropical flowered shirt if they are accustomed to seeing that person in traditional business attire and a pair of wire-framed reading glasses. Your online identity works the same way. Most social media sites allow you to upload a photo to go with your content and bio information, but if that image and profile are not consistent from one site to the next, you are diffusing the impact of your own brand. 36
Slide 38: Why use a personal photo at all? Because no one likes talking to a blank wall or a cutout shape of a head. They also don’t appreciate talking to a cartoon character, a photo of your dog, or the logo of your favorite sports team. People want to see a friendly face, someone who does not seem either frivolous or stuffy—a face that inspires their trust and confidence. Shocking is not the effect you are going for here. Neither is sexy, edgy, or offbeat, unless your product genuinely falls into one of these categories. “While 20 minutes a day may not be a lot of time for some to spend on their social media strategy, for others this may be close to impossible. This is where you can utilize a professional virtual assistant; however, remember that you should NEVER delegate the ‘engagement’ aspect of being social. Delegate the tasks to others, but maintain the responsibility for engaging in conversations and being your own voice.” Elsom Eldridge III If you use a photo that shows more than your head, you will wind up with your image reduced to the size of a leprechaun. Instead, simply select a headshot that is a crisp image, and one that really looks like you yet conveys a professional demeanor. Pick a photo that says, “I will listen when you talk,” not one that screams, “I am here to sell you something.” One other option besides using a personal portrait photo is to use your company’s logo, especially if your logo is better known than your face, or if you are creating one online identity to which multiple people will contribute. Do not use a URL (your website address) as part of your image; that’s just a little too pushy for this type of marketing. But your photo or logo is only part of your online identity. The biographical information you use to describe yourself or your company is also a critical part of your brand. Who are you? What have you done that will give people a reason to believe that you are a knowledgeable, credible resource? What is your service or your message in a single crystallized thought that people will immediately grasp and remember? And very importantly, does your bio separate you from others in your field and from your business competitors? Lastly remember that social media marketing centers around the brand you are building. Keep that brand message highly consistent from site to site to site. 37
Slide 39: Help! You really don’t have to do this all alone. Besides the advice (both free and for a fee) that’s available on the web to help you sort through social media marketing, you have other options to get help and create a little relief. Virtual assistants (VAs) can be the cyberspace equivalent of an admin staff or an IT Department. You can find online support at a variety of prices to help you with administrative tasks, site setup, design, website maintenance, and ‘virtually’ any other task that can be performed to help you without the person actually being onsite with you. Virtual assistants can be found at a variety of price ranges. Just as you would do in a face-to-face hiring, jump in slowly. Assign a few small tasks or a job of limited scope that is easy to verify when it has been completed to your standards. “Test” your virtual assistant before you turn large areas of responsibility over to him or her. Additional options include hiring people from resources such as: ELance (http://www.elance.com) 99Designs (http://99designs.com) RentaCoder (http://www.rentacoder.com/ ) Guru.com (http://www.guru.com/emp/index.aspx) Another valuable tool in your social media-marketing arsenal is Ping.fm (http://ping.fm). This free web-based service enables you to update all of your social media sites simultaneously or chose only certain ones to update. Ping.fm supports over 40 different social media platforms. 38
Slide 40: And More Help! To say that this book only touches the tip of the social media iceberg is certainly true, yet sounds very cliché. But much like an actual iceberg, social media is a changing, fluid mass that has broken off from the giant glacier and is moving in ways that are both predictable and unpredictable—powerful, impressive, and everchanging. Mark and Elsom Eldridge know that to scale this iceberg alone could be a daunting challenge. That’s why, together with Linda J. Parker, they have written The Obvious Experts Social Media Series, soon to be available both as ebooks and in print. Currently still in production, this six book series looks at social media platforms, providing you the facts you need to use these tools wisely while leaving out all the noise and chatter found in some social media resource books and guides. The six-book series starts here with book one, (How to Use Social Media to Brand Yourself as the Obvious Expert) a pre-press, unedited ebook, still in “beta form”. Visit The Obvious Expert website at www.obviousexpert.com/SMebook.html for more information about all of the books and learn how you can sign up to be among the first to receive the next five installments: Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Pre-Press ‘Beta’ Edition 39
Slide 41: The Obvious Expert Advisors talk about what Social Media Marketing has meant to their business. Advice from The Obvious Expert Advisors In 2001, during the research for How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert™ (a book authored by Mark Eldridge and Elsom Eldridge Jr.) we began a search for one hundred of the top minds in consulting—and all of its related fields. The goal at that time was to compile for the readers of our books (who are most often consultants, coaches, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, sole proprietors, and business people), all of the resources from the experts who today, are defining business through their successes, accomplishments, innovations, and leadership thinking. Over the years, the list of 100 Obvious Experts has grown closer to 200. Not only have they increased in number, but they seem to somehow be getting even wiser. 40
Slide 42: “As Jeff Howe, a Wired Editor, has documented extensively in his book, Crowdsourcing, the entire process of marketing is transforming to one driven by peer-to-peer relationships in community. And as Bill Joy, chairman of Sun Microsystems, famously is said to have observed “Wherever you work, most of the smart people are somewhere else.” Offering and gaining access to distributed expertise is rapidly becoming a necessity for successful enterprises. The Obvious Experts Team includes some of the savviest cats in the alley for applying the emerging principles of Web 2.0 to guide professionals and businesspeople to great success at low cost. They are invaluable coaches in the art of building one's reputation and recognition. Seek their guidance and follow it, it will transform your life. It transformed mine.” Ralph Benko author, The Websters' Dictionary: How to Use the Web to Transform the World, www.thewebstersdictionary.com The Websters’ Dictionary Blog http://twitter.com/TheWebster “Social marketing with Twitter has benefited me greatly: write more concisely, it's introduced me to numerous me reconnect with others I've previously worked with. easy way to check the "pulse" of my community and recommended. PS: I was originally a doubter.” it's helped me learn to prospects, and helped It provides me with an test new ideas. Highly Roger C. Parker Write your way to success at: www.publishedandprofitable.com http://twitter.com/Rogercparker 41
Slide 43: “Social Media has helped my own Homes & Land Real Estate Franchises stand out by positioning us as the early adopters of new technologies and trends. And as a Social Media Strategist, it has helped me personally with my Consultation business—to connect with industry leaders in the Transformational Speaker & Trainer world who otherwise may have been challenging to connect with.” Angela Albright http://AngelaAlbright.com http://angelaontwitter.com http://angelaonfacebook.com Cell: 604.341.6933 Vancouver, Canada “Social media is more than just celebrities and rock stars seeing how many will follow them. Social Media has become a platform that allows us to share pictures, activities, videos, blog posts, and communication all together. Social media has taught me that what give, we get back … tenfold. It’s in your best interest to build on many platforms so if you lose one, it doesn’t hugely impact your whole business.” Karriann Graf http://www.KarriannGraf.com http://www.twitter.com/KarriannGraf http://www.facebook.com/KarriannGraf “Social media has done incredible things for my clients that would have taken a much longer time had they used just traditional marketing. By using blogs and other social network tools—communicating and engaging with others has lead to rapidly expanding their business, helping them in a short time expand website traffic, get radio bookings, product sales, and connect with 42
Slide 44: likeminded people nationwide and globally. Using a social media strategy has become a necessity for business, just like many denied in the past they needed a website—it’s becoming obvious you now need both.” Jessica “Sica” Martin www.VAsolutionsNOW.com www.twitter.com/vasolutionsnow 43