A Dirty Little Secret About Social Media...

Here's a guest post from my marketing mentor Dave Dee. Enjoy!

Just like my kids, I want every business I launch to grow
up to be strong, healthy, and well-rounded.

When it comes to marketing, you want a strategy that is
going to give you a steady flow of leads that are excited
to hear from you, buy from you, and tell their friends to
do the same. Luckily, that's what I specialize in, so get
out your notepad because I'm about to tell you a VERY
important secret.

What's the opposite of strong, healthy, and well-rounded?

Weak, fragile, and narrow-minded. I wouldn't want my kids
to grow up that way, and I sure don't want to grow a
business to have it crumble under its own weight.

The key to growing a robust business really comes down
to marketing. Without that steady influx of leads you're
likely to be hobbling along like all the other business
that will expire like a candle this month.

How do you make your marketing robust? Just like you want
your kids to eat from ALL the major food groups, and get
smart in ALL the types of intelligence, you want your
business to embrace ALL the best marketing strategies.

Here is a dirty little secret you will hear from neither
the Social Media gurus, nor the old die-hard direct-response
mailguys that I learned from:

You need both.

That's right. In this day and age, if you don't have a
presence on Facebook and Twitter, you're pre-historic. Yet,
if all you do is spend your days surfing social media looking
for clients, that's like swimming through the water all day
looking for a fish to net.

What you want is to attract and retain clients with a hybrid
marketing strategy that includes:

1.) A solid base of Direct Response Mail - postcards,
letter campaigns, and of course, a monthly newsletter (the
traditional stuff that WORKS)

2.) A regular email contact similar to the emails you
receive from me - at least weekly, as much as daily

3.) A consistent presence on the top social media sites -
Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

The real power comes when you get them all working together.

Things really start cooking when someone finds you on social
media and signs up for your email list. Or when someone gets
your direct mail and follows you on Twitter because you list
that as a contact option. It's list building, but it's a more
interactive list.

The best is when someone signs up for your newsletter and
gives you their address on your landing page because they
followed a link you posted on Twitter or Facebook. I love
when that happens! Social media is just like a big mouth on
a marketing funnel.

Here's a great tip - in your emails you want to lead people
to your social media profiles so they can check you out and
really get a feel for you. Put links to your social media
profiles in your emails! It's a much more personal form of
communication, and people feel like they're getting "more"
of YOU when there are pictures and real-time interaction.

It's amazing how much of your personality and expertise can
be conveyed on social media. Prospects you gain there will
be some of your best because they've pre-screened themselves
to be a good "fit." They like you, know you, and want to do
business with YOU.

If you do all these together, each one of them, you will
have a business that grows up healthy, strong, and has a
well-rounded base to keep it stable when the storms in life
come a-blowin.

Here's your assignment for the week: Find me on Facebook
and Twitter. It's really simple, here are the links:

Facebook: http://budurl.com/DaveDeeFanPage

Twitter: http://budurl.com/DaveDeeTwitter

Can't wait to connect with you!

~Dave

PS - You may have to set up your profiles real quick. I
encourage you to follow through. I will be writing more
about this as I develop my own hybrid strategy and I want
to take you right along with me.

PPS - Check out my friends at the Social Media Profit
School. Craig and his team have an awesome questionnaire
that they personally review and tell you: How Close you
are to REALLY making money on Facebook & Twitter?

If you've been doing what I recommend, you may be a lot
closer than you think!

http://www.socialmediaprofitschool.org

PPPS - Craig will be at the Triple X Bootcamp in LA with
us. You can meet him there. Check out these great bonuses
we're offering to anyone who registers for the event
through my Fan Page:

http://budurl.com/DaveDeeFanPage


Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own.

Craig Filek
Social Media Profit School
Read Blog: Social Media Profit School Blog
Email Me: Craig(at)SocialMediaProfitSchool
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaProfitSchool
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SMProfitSchool

What's the Best Way to Add 1000 New Fans???

Is there a difference between adding 1000 fans through spam-like tricks, and authentically attracting and connecting, with 1000 genuine prospects?

We believe there is.


(scroll down for survey)

I'd rather have 100 genuine fans than 10,000 empty connections with folks who do not know who I am and who will never be interested in what I'm offering.

So... what's the best way to add 1000 new, genuinely interested prospects?

We'd like to get your thoughts on that!


As you can see on the right - we've just set up a fresh page for the Social Media Profit School. As promised, we'll compile the results of this survey below, test what ranks high on the scale of feasibility and report the results here to you.

If you're a Social Media guru, we'll only trumpet your idea if it's really a winner.


This is a great way to share in mentoring the Social Media Profit School Interns, and start to build a name as one of the SM Guru with ideas that really work for Attracting an Authentic Tribe that Buys!




Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Social Media Profit School
Read Blog: Social Media Profit School Blog
Email Me: Craig(at)SocialMediaProfitSchool
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaProfitSchool
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SMProfitSchool


Serial Marketing Entrepreneur - Bob Britton - talks about his Social Media Launch Experience

How to Attract Clients Who REALLY Love You & Can't Wait To Work With You!

The reality is, people buy from people, not businesses. With the rise of Social Media, clients demand, and are being met with, greater and deeper authenticity.

Sharing your authenticity is particularly important if you are a service provider, professional or solo-preneur. People are ultimately buying YOU, whether they know this or not. Therefore, it's up to YOU to share your personality and lifestyle and genuine thoughts and feelings in a way that attracts a tribe of prospects and business partners who are really into YOU, and who are also interested in your expertise and the experience of working with you - whatever results you may be promising.

Ultimately, your integrity will shine through. All the marketing promises in the world can't overcome the truth of who you are in your core. If you are honest, then failure to deliver as promised once in a while will be forgiven and trust will be deepened by your accountability and earnest desire to make things right for your clients. This will spread positive word of mouth, and Social Media will work for you.

Traditional (1.0) websites and marketing are like billboards or television at best. You're broadcasting. You're not interacting. In the 21st Century, your clients want to see you, get a feel for you, get a sense of what matters to you and what you put first in your life. This isn't something most marketers put in their ads.

The best way to really share who you are is to share snipits of your thoughts and even pics, audio and video clips that showcase not only what you know, but who you are. So sure, post your killer glamour shots, post your interview on TV and on stage at seminars, post your articles and expert blog posts. All that is great stuff. AND... if you really want to connect with your Tribe, and attract like-minded prospects who love you and WANT to do business with you, follow some of these suggestions:

  1. Post pictures & vids of you with the kids getting ice cream, you and your friends having fun doing something that really reflects what you're passionate about, interested in and committed to.
  2. Post questions that you are genuinely curious about and interact with the folks who care enough about you and what you're saying to respond. Don't leave em hanging
  3. Make interesting comments on other people's posts and let them know you're a human being and you care about them, too!
These are just a few ways to authentically connect with the prospects and business partners that will help you take your business and your life to the next level this year.

If you're using them or if you try them out, show some love and post some feedback so everyone else can see how well they work!

Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Social Media Profit School
Read Blog: Social Media Profit School Blog
Email Me: Craig(at)SocialMediaProfitSchool
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaProfitSchool
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SMProfitSchool

How Is Free Social Media Marketing Costing You Big Time???

To be an effective marketer, you must know what your ROI (return on investment) is for every dollar you spend.

Even though it's essentially free to market your services on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, this principle of measuring your results is just as important as when you're spending thousands on a mailing or radio campaign.

Just think of all the time you can waste without getting any work done, and without making a dime from all your thousands of followers and fans. That's not acceptable if you want to be a success.

There are a lot of social media "experts" out there and they all claim to have "THE" answer, the Holy Grail of social media success. A lot of them have some really good stuff, and you should try out as much of it as you can in a focused, scientific way if you really want to become successful (and be able to justify your time) on Twitter, Facebook, et al...

Whether you're seeking fame, fortune or fun... the bottom line is the same: Results Count!

Here at the Social Media Profit School, we've got our own ideas about what works when it comes to social media profits. Most of the ideas we base our services on come not from the latest fads and fashionable expert advice out there.

Rather, our ideas are rooted firmly in the principles of direct-respnse marketing, and we apply these ideas on Facebook and Twitter. We test the ideas to see what actually flies, then we apply what works for our clients.


Our strategy breaks down in to three simple steps:

1.) Follow and study what the best marketers are doing on their social media channels - both traditional marketers, and also social media experts.

2.) Test EVERYTHING - including the basic strategies of the lead generation funnel, the newest technology & integration strategies (including iPhone integration), even the subtle nuances of how the best marketers word their offers so they feel authentic, not like a used car salesman manages your page.

3.) Apply the strategies that work for our clients and make sure the innovations actually work with each individual client.

Without testing and measuring what works in YOUR business, even the top social media experts can lead you astray. All that "Free" marketing exposure you thought was gonna balloon your business this year ends up costing you big time.

So, before you go investing another dime in online courses and seminars, do yourself a favor...

Ask yourself whether the best use of your time is spent studying & testing & tweaking & testing some more, or if you should just stay focused on doing what you're best at, and leave the social media marketing to the ones who know what to do, how to do it, and how to test for improvements so you know you're getting the best possible online strategy for your money.

Cheers,

Craig

PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Social Media Profit School
Read Blog: Social Media Profit School Blog
Email Me: Craig(at)SocialMediaProfitSchool
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaProfitSchool
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SMProfitSchool

A Social Media Cockpit? That Makes Money???

RT Mari Smith - Relationship and Buzz Marketing Specialist How FriendFeed Could Become the Ultimate Social Media Tracking Service: http://is.gd/1qHsp [w00t, go FriendFeed!!]
July 8th

This article opened my eyes to a vision of the social web as it is emerging beyond our wildest dreams.

Mark Joyner, one of the internet marketing game's first big success stories, and a navy seal or something crazy like that... he wrote about the history of communication technology, and how it is accelerating at an exponential rate. Think about it historically... how long between innovations:


From hand transcription by emasculated monks to biblical liberation with the Guttenberg press
From foot travel to Pony Express, Rail-Road and Steamship
From telegraph and radio to telephone and television
From telefax to email
From print journalism and publishing cartels to blogging and self-publishing

And where does it all culminate? Where does the speed, freedom and reach we now have to communicate with our networks lead us to as a species?

To total choice about the media that we subscribe to.

We are no longer relegated to the 15 women's magazines on the shelf at the grocery check-out aisle, or the 718 channels of garbage that vandalize our home of the soul that resides within.

We can subscribe to anyone we want and receive our media anyway we want... as long as they're offering it.

So, if you've got something important to say... a mission in the world... something you feel called to broadcast to a wide range of people, but mostly those who can hear you and value what you're saying... then let's talk - you need a social media presence and a way to communicate with your networks that is:

1.) Simple - as easy as using email or even your phone

2.) Regular & Convenient - it has to fit into your daily life like any other intimate relationship... but not take it over. Like a cat - there for you when you want to play, but not demanding like a puppy or a business.

3.) Fun - Social media is a marketplace. It's like travelling to Bangladesh and meeting the merchants in the streets. It's the way business has been done for thousands of years. We had a brief hick-up there where the corporotocracy nearly got a handle on us, but our natural social artifacts are developing so rapidly, we can all but circumvent the non-sense of the politcal agendas that try to trip us up in this game of life.

That's it. You need a cockpit with some read-outs that display information that is relevant and interesting to you in a timely way, and you need a means of broadcasting YOUR message to your tribe in a way they can all hear and read you.

That's what I do - I set that up for you, and I make sure you're enjoying your experience. And that it pays off for you psychically as well as fiscally.

Email me to learn more: craig at craigfilek.com

Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Your Social Media Maverick
Read Blog: Social Media Maverick Blog
Email Me: CraigFilek(at)gmail
Facebook Me: http://profile.to/craigfilek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraigFilek
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/craigfilek

How Do You Profit from Social Media Profiles?

Return on Investment.

It's a tricky notion when it comes to Social Media.

What most business folk are used to is, "never spend a dollar unless you can make or save MORE than a dollar."

And this is terrific advice. I fully advise it on every business decision.

So, how do you get your Social Media profiles to pay off? How do you make your tweets and wall posts and friend requests add up to "more than a dollar"?

It's very simple. Since this is new territory for many business folk, I'll break it down into a few basic steps. Let's begin with the end in mind:

1.) Have a Marketing & Sales System that captures a prospect's attention, causes them to desire more information about how YOU can help solve their problem(s), and eventually converts them into a client. This is the KEY to making your Social Media investment payoff. If you don't have a system for capturing Leads and building value while further qualifying them and eventually converting the most qualified into sales, then you will not likely see the ROI. It's that simple. It's like fishing with a worm and a line, but no hook. You're not likely to land the fish, silly.

2.) So what is the "hook"? It's also known as a Lead Generation Magnet and looks like a Name & Email capture form that is connected to an auto-responder or CRM. Typically, a Free Report that promises some answers or vital information that a qualified prospect would desire and value make a great Lead Generation Magnet. Free consultations also work well, depending on your business model. The hook will be offered on your blog and your website, though not on your Profiles. Occasionally, you may post or tweet a link about it, but infrequently as this will turn people off.

3.) Funnel your prospects from your Profiles to your Lead Generation Magnet page. By integrating your Blog with your Social Media Profiles like Facebook and LinkedIn, you will be writing interesting content that is automatically disseminated to your Tribe (aka: list, herd, friends...) When people are interested in you, what you have to say, or what you have to offer, they will dig deeper into your information. They will click on your blog, or your website, and see the Lead Capture Form. They will enter their name and email in order to get your Free Gift. That's when they have raised their hand as a qualified prospect who you can begin to convert - to SELL to. All your Social Media Profiles are intended to funnel qualified prospects back to your Lead Capture Form. Trying to sell directly on the Profile is tacky and people will un-friend you.

4.) Profile Content is the final step in this system. It's such a broad topic that I am going to cover it in a separate post: Suffice to say, your Content is what people are most interested. Why? Because people do business with PEOPLE. Social Media is about PEOPLE. So, while your Lead Generation Magnet is about selling, your Profile Content is about YOU. Anyone interested in working with you will want to know more about YOU than your business vision and mission. They want to feel they can trust YOU and that means they have to have a window into your life. Your best, longest term clients will be the ones you have the most affinity with, shared interests and values. The bottom line on Profile Content is this: Be Authentic!

If you follow this simple formula, you will see an ROI on your Social Media investment. It will not come overnight, though. It takes time to get the swing of things with this new Marketing Channel, build a Tribe, get some viral exposure to new prospects via your existing Tribe, and perfect your Lead Generation Magnet.

In the next post I will delve into Profile Content and how to Be Authentic!

Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Your Social Media Maverick
Read Blog: Social Media Maverick Blog
Email Me: CraigFilek(at)gmail
Facebook Me: http://profile.to/craigfilek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CraigFilek
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/craigfilek

How to White-List Our Email Address

To make sure you receive emails from us, please take just a moment now to "whitelist" our address with your email server to ensure delivery.

Select your email provider from the list below, and follow a few simple steps to let them know that you want emails from Results@SocialMediaProfitSchool.org to be delivered to you.

Feel free to link back to this post when requesting that your email contacts white-list you too!

Providers we have instructions for:
AOL
Comcast
Earthlink
Gmail
Hotmail
Yahoo
Mozilla Thunderbird
Outlook 2003
SBC Global
Verizon
Blackberry Devices



AOL
If you are using AOL, you can ensure that your subscription information is delivered to your inbox by setting your Mail Controls. Here's how:
1. Go to Mail Controls
2. Select the screen name we're sending your email to
3. Click Customize mail Controls for this screen name

For AOL version 8.0:
Select allow email from all AOL members, email address and domains.
1. Click next until the save button shows up at the bottom
2. Click save

If you haven't received an email from us yet:
Please add our "From address" to your AOL address book:
1. Click the Mail menu and select Address Book.
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If you have already received an email from us:
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COMCAST
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If you have enabled Restrict Incoming Email, also do the following:
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EARTHLINK
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GMAIL
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How to check if our email is in the "spam" folder:
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HOTMAIL
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If you have received a message from us:
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If you see our email address on this list, select it and click the Remove button.
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MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD
If you haven't received a message from us yet:
You will need to add our email address to your Thunderbird Address Book and configure your Junk Mail Controls to white list your address book.
1. Click the Address Book button.
2. Make sure the Personal Address Book is highlighted.
3. Click the New Card button. This will launch a New Card window that has 3 tabs: Contact, Address & Other.
4. Under the Contact tab, copy and paste our "From" address, add our email address into the Email dialog box.
5. Click OK.

If you have received a message from us:
1. Please check your Junk folder to see if our emails have been mistakenly placed there.
2. To prevent this from happening in the future, you need to mark our email as not junk. Do this by right-clicking on our newsletter and choose "Mark -< As Not Junk". White list your Personal Address Book: 1. From the main drop down menu, select "Tools -< Junk Mail Controls..." This will launch the Junk Mail Controls window that has two tabs: Settings and Adaptive Filter. 2. Under the Settings tab, update the "White Lists" module by selecting Personal Address Book from the pull down menu and then check mark the box next to "Do not mark messages as junk mail". Click OK. OUTLOOK (2003?)
Add our email address to your Safe Senders list:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click Junk E-mail.
3. On the Safe Senders tab, click Add.
4. In the Add address, put our email address
5. Click OK.

SBC GLOBAL
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3. Click the Add button.
4. In the "From header" rule, in the field to the right of contains, enter our email address.
5. From the Move the message to pull-down list, choose inbox.
6. Click the Add Filter button to save the filter.

VERIZON
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4. In the Nickname field, type our email address.
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YAHOO
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5. In the top row, labeled From Header: make sure contains is selected in the pull-down menu.
6. Click in the text box next to that pull-down menu, then enter our email address.
(Please select the email address from the list provided, if available).
7. At the bottom, where it says Move the message to: select Inbox from the pull-down menu.
8. Click the Add Filter button again.

If you have received a message from us:
1. If our email is getting stuck in your Yahoo Bulk Folder, please open
the email and click the Not Spam button.
2. Next, check to see if the email address is in your "Blocked Addresses" list. If you see our email address on this list, select it and click the Remove Block button.
3. Lastly, please set up a filter as outlined above.

BLACKBERRY Devices
1. Scroll up to the message header.
2. Get to the field where their name is listed, click the Berry button and then click Show Address.
3. Select and copy that address to the clipboard.
4. Go into Address Book and find the user.
5. Select Save.
6. Click to edit it, and then click the Berry button to add another email address.
7. Paste it in and click Save.


Feel free to link back to this post when requesting that your email contacts white-list you too!


Cheers,

Craig


PS - If you know you need a social media presence and a strategy for attracting clients, then send me an email, or connect with me through the social media profiles I've listed below. We've got entire done for you packages that include a comprehensive strategy session, integration with your blog and CRM lead capture form, and a host of other neat tricks that would take you hours and hours to figure out on your own. Contact me today!

Craig Filek
Social Media Profit School
Read Blog: Social Media Profit School Blog
Email Me: Craig(at)SocialMediaProfitSchool
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaProfitSchool
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SMProfitSchool