Dear {FirstName},

We hope you've been enjoying your Monday Morning Motivator. If you've received this issue for the first time - welcome aboard! It only takes a couple of minutes to start your week off right with the MMM! Be encouraged by the success or great ideas of others in your business community.

Social Media, What's All The Fuss?

Twitching over Twitter? Flummoxed by Facebook? E-marketing guru Mitch Joel reveals how to use social media in any business.

Social media, Web 2.0, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube: the words have bounced around your boardroom like superballs. You've heard of some businesses using them with success. Maybe you've given some of them a shot yourself — and then wondered what all the fuss is about.

For many entrepreneurs, it's becoming harder to justify the ROI and time spent in these many new and crowded online social spaces when the results are not immediate and obvious. In the end, is social-media marketing really going to help you grow your firm and make more money?

The answer is yes. It doesn't matter which industry you're in, how small or large your niche is, whether you target consumers or businesses, or whether your product sells for $1 or $1 million. If people can't find you online — especially in social-media channels — you are invisible. If you do not acclimate yourself to social media now, you will soon fall far behind your competitors.

There's plenty of evidence that consumers are increasingly digital. Canada is No. 1 when it come to online video viewing, for example. And there's huge power in engaging online communities. A 2008 report by the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California reported that 55% of online community members feel as strongly about their virtual community as they do about their real-world community.

Whether you're a social-media newbie or you've already tried without much success to make social media work for you, consider these steps to get the most of out the exciting and ever-changing world of Web 2.0.

Create a strategy

Social-media marketing is more akin to dating than it is to the one-night stand. Without a long-term strategy, all you're doing is chasing the latest and greatest shiny object. I've seen so many companies hop onto Facebook or Twitter with no set plan other than “trying it out.” There's nothing wrong with that, but before filling out any online social-networking profiles, why not first jot down what you want to accomplish and why you want to accomplish it? If you uncover the strategy after you have already started, you may wind up with online profiles and spaces that really don't match your strategy. If someone comes by and sees those initial forays that you have since abandoned, it might not make the ideal digital first impression.

Audit your digital footprint

To create a strong strategy, you need to be aware of what your customers are already saying about you online. It will help you decide which direction your initiatives should take. There are tons of free tools that let you see and hear what is being said about you, your company and your products. Google News Alerts, Technorati, Twitter Search and even simple searches on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Bing can give you the overall temperature of who is saying what. In order to best manage these many tools, grab all of these feeds and unify them in a news aggregator such as Google Reader or Netvibes.

Choose matching channels and networks

All too often I see businesses on Twitter that really ought to be blogging. There are companies doing things with text that might be better suited to images. My point: it's best to focus on creating and publishing the type of content that makes the most sense for your business. Also, consider what you would enjoy creating the most. I was a writer before I started my company, so blogging and Tweeting are natural for me. If you did college radio, a podcast might be up your alley. Think about what you have a knack for.

Have a plan and be consistent

Partner with excellence

By the way, there's no rule against delegating some of these steps. If it makes sense for one of your senior managers to do a podcast, or for a PR firm to write your blog, there's nothing wrong with that — as long as you're creating content that people want and you're completely transparent about who's behind it.

And one final bonus tip: have fun! One reason why businesses abandon this type of marketing is because they are no longer having fun with it. There are so many channels out there. Find ones you enjoy, then create the type of content that you can be passionate about.

If you want to become more social, gives us a call. We're here to help.

Have a great week unless you choose otherwise.

Drago

 

PS - We just finished a new TV spot for Brown & Simowitz. They have handled many significant cases and consistently strive to fight injustice and expand the rights of serious injury victims. Based in San Diego, Brown & Simowitz wanted  to create a high impact TV commercial, that illustrated how a family can be shattered by the loss of a loved one who becomes a victim of an automobile accident. Click Here! and enjoy.

PPS - Do you have all the business you can handle? You could be our next success story sending us a message like this:
("The end result bears witness to their knowledge, creativity and patience." John Barth)

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Success Profile

This week's success profile is Thomas Beyer and his team at Prestigious Properties.

Prestigious Properties builds wealth for investors by offering well selected Real Estate investments in North American growth markets. These investments provide positive cash flow, tax free equity growth, and hassle-free management for the benefit of tenants, communities and investors.

To find out more about how Thomas and his team at Prestigious Properties can help you meet your financial goals go to www.prestprop.com .

Can The Adam Advertising Group help your business, or do you have a success story we should hear about?
Contact Drago Adam at drago@AdamAdGroup.com
or call 604 937 -8886 or 1 866 923 - 6477

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