Mike and I first met in December 2008 via our mutual friend, Denise Wakeman, at a social media event in San Diego. We immediately hit it off and I’ve been delighted to team up with Mike and contribute to his ventures ever since!
Four of the Social Media Examiner team members:
Amy Porterfield, Denise Wakeman, Mike Stelzner (founder) & Mari Smith.
[Pic taken at Seth Godin event by LinkedOC, Feb 2010]
Meanwhile, over the past six months or so, Ihad been thinking about starting an internet TV show. Many friends of mine would say, “You should do an internet TV show!” I’ve loaded several fun videos to my Facebook Fan Page. I was a guest on BraveHearTV and got the chance recently to shoot a TV infomercial for Jim Britt along with host, Valerie Brooks-Flores, (details coming!). I just love the medium of TV to communicate so much more.
I looked at all kinds of approaches for TV shows and, quite frankly, the logistics seemed overwhelming. I’ve always been inspired by the amazing Gary Vaynerchuk and his wildly popular WineLibraryTV. Gary definitely has a fabulous personality for TV!!
Social Media Examiner TV is born!
Well, there’s much to be said about the power of intention. Over a recent business lunch, Mike and I had one of those simultaneous, spontaneous sparks of genius … and Social Media Examiner TV was born!! This episode is the first of three pilots and we’ll begin running regularly after that!
In this episode, I review the awesome new iPad app, Flipboard—an amazing way to consume your social media news and see your Facebook and Twitter contacts—along with my passion for Facebook’s 500 million users and the game-changing social plugins. Plus, we take a look at how Foursquare could help your local business.
Take a peek at our inaugural show below – be sure to max up to full screen (click the wee four-arrow icon in the bottom right corner). [And, look for a funny line at minute 6:30; it still cracks me up!]
If you enjoyed this pilot episode of Social Media Examiner TV, please do tweet about it (use hashtag #SMEtv), share it on Facebook or even embed this episode on your blog.
By the way, here’s my excited tweet when I met up with Ross Epstein, Regional Marketing Coordinator for Jimbo’s Naturally:
When I got back to my home office after filming this first Social Media Examiner TV pilot, I was so ecstatic and made a video for my Facebook Fan Page on the subject of manifesting what we want.
When you have clarity on something that you want to create (the “What”) and why, you can leave the “How” part up to the Universe. We often get caught up in the “How” and try to control all the details. But when we’re committed to serving the greater good, magic can really happen in an even bigger and better way than you might’ve first imagined.
Please do leave your comments below — I’d love to hear what you think of this first TV show. Feel free to add your suggestions for future show content and your comments about Internet TV in general.
In fact, do hop over to this post on Social Media Examiner’s blog today. Plus – guess what?? In future episodes, you’ll have an opportunity to get your questions answered! And, if you leave a video response on YouTube, Mike and I may just put your video into one of our future episodes!!!
[UPATE: Thank you for your interest in ISMA – this organization is in process of being dissolved. You may read about the transition below. If you were a member of ISMA, you will continue to receive access to all materials via my website on a special platform – please keep an eye on your email Inbox for information.]
This is not an easy post to write, but here goes — after much deliberation, my partner in ISMA and I have decided to dissolve the International Social Media Association. There are many reasons behind this decision and it was certainly a tough one to make.
Mark and I have enjoyed this journey together since September 2009 and are most grateful to our more than 3,000 members. Between the tw
o of us – along with Mark’s entire family – much effort has gone into building ISMA to this point.
However, like I say, for a number of reasons we have chosen to wind up our partnership and ISMA.
All our members received a special, heartfelt email message this morning with details of our announcement.
Live Q&A Broadcast
In order to communicate the transition of ISMA in person and answer any questions our members and other industry professionals may have, I will be LIVE on Ustream TODAY, Friday, April 30th at 1:00pm PST / 4:00pm EST.
I will broadcast live for approximately 90 minutes. The show will be recorded and the replay will be available at the same link if you’re unable to join me live.
UPDATE: I have embedded below the replay of the live Ustream broadcast:
What Went Right?
Rather than dig in and analyze what went “wrong,” I’d rather focus on what went right. [Props to Ian Newby-Clark, psychologist at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada for this great reframe in Psychology Today.]
Facebook beginnings
By way of background, I began my journey in the social media industry back in early summer of 2007. For the previous seven years, I was a relationship marketing specialist – focusing on internet marketing, information product creation, copywriting and emailmarketing. I would travel, speak, consult and lead online trainings – similar to what I do now, sans social media!
When I was introduced to Facebook, I was convinced that I didn’t need yet another online social network to help me network. I’m already a natural networker. However, I dove deep into this magical world on a team of beta testers for a Facebook app.
Social media = paradigm shift
Of course, what we had begun to experience as a society and beyond was a complete paradigm shift in how we function, communicate and do business on the planet. Suddenly, it was ALL about the relationships. Not what you know, but who you know. And – often more importantly – who knows you.
Words like “authentic” and “transparent” were all abuzz. As consumers, we began to expect that individuals and companies would be more open, more sharing, more inclusive. Social media became “word of mouth on steroids,” as my friend Gary Vaynerchuk calls it.
Towards the end of 2007, I was creating Facebook training products, leading seminars and traveling to speak about Facebook marketing.
Best practices
But, I felt uneasy about what was beginning to look like a giant free-for-all: a new industry without best practices. There were so many unspoken rules of etiquette. With all due respect to the well-intentioned marketers who push the envelope and try new ways of using these new technologies, I just felt strongly about leading by example… and, I envisioned creating an organization grounded in best practices. I had a vision to create Certification Programs and an international community of like-minded, supportive professionals.
What went right is that I followed my heart and took action. What went right is I surrounded myself with a solid, supportive team. What went right is we attracted over 3,000 wonderful members and each week we were able to bring them wonderful industry experts who generously shared their knowledge and expertise.
We built community. We built a special place for loyal professionals to support each other. We spawned new businesses, new collaborations, new relationships.
I will always be deeply grateful for this profound opportunity to go for my dreams and birth an amazing social media association. I couldn’t have done it without the relentless support of Mark Eldridge and his family. And, we couldn’t have come this far without our members.
Closing a door is never easy. Yet, as you well know, another door always opens. This isn’t an ending – it’s a beginning. I won’t rule out other associations in my future. And, I’m certainly open to joining forces with other social media industry leaders… but not before I free up a wee bit more time in my hectic schedule!
My major focuses right now are:
The launch of my first published book -Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day (Sybex, May 3) co-authored with Chris Treadaway. Do come join us at our virtual launch party on Monday, May 3! Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day is a comprehensive guide for marketers, business owners and practitioners alike. Discover all the ways your business can maximize everything Facebook has to offer, from simple quick techniques to full-on campaigns. Order your copy today and get a free series of online classes!
My favorite event of the year: the extraordinary onlineSocial Media Success Summit – brainchild of my dear friend, Mike Stelzner – which begins on May 4 and runs for four weeks. (It’s entirely virtual!) The Summit features twenty-four of the world’s leading social media experts, practitioners and leading brand representatives. See my post here for additional details. And, take a look at my video on YouTube: Ten Reasons to Attend the Social Media Success Summit.
My own two-day live training programs: Social Marketing Mastery Immersion coming up on June 11-12 and again September 3-4 in San Diego. Attend live at a great San Diego hotel, or virtually via webinar!
A long-awaited collaboration with my dear spiritual mentor, Esperanza, called Conscious Social Media. VERY excited about this – I can share details in just another few days!
Plus, continuing my travels to speak around the globe on social media success and lead training programs on Facebook marketing.
Plus, continuing to lead private trainings and provide social media strategy consulting for my dear clients.
I look forward to evolving and growing with you, my peeps!
Do feel free to add your comments, questions, concerns, ideas and feedback below! I’d love to hear from you.
I’m about to set off on a wee tour – which originally began as a private mastermind retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 12-17
Then, my friend, Peggy McColl, asked me to speak at her amazing Viral Explosions book launch extravaganza in Ottawa, Ontario, April 16 and 17. It’s such an amazing event, and my big sis lives near Ottawa so we get to meet up!
And, my friend, Joel Comm contacted me to let me know the Loveland Chamber of Commerce *really* wanted me to come speak at their next Social Media Social. We ended up selecting a date that worked for all of us, and I added on extra time on the front end of my trip! w00t!
So, if you’re in the Northern Colorado area, or Albuquerque or Ottawa – I’d love to meet you IRL (in real life!) at these upcoming events:
WHEN: Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 5:30-7:30pm WHERE: Embassy Suites Loveland, Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland, CO 80538 COST: Loveland Chamber investors: $8 to pre-reg; $10 at the door. Everyone else: $12 to pre-reg; $15 at the door RSVP: CLICK HERE to register. [NOTE: I have 4 guest passes left. If you know for sure you can make it, DM me for a guest pass!!]
Mix, mingle and meet the people behind the avatars and Twitter handles! I’ll be giving a short presentation on social media marketing, especially a few of my Facebook and Twitter ninja tricks. PLUS, the Loveland Chamber are serving Aqua Mari’tinis in my honor – gotta love that!! Follow the @LovelandChamber and @NoCOSocialMedia on Twitter.
[Pic: @JoelComm & @MariSmith at the Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, Jan 2009]
WHEN: Friday, April 9, 2010 from 6:30-9:30pm WHERE: The Lobby Denver, 2191 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205 COST: No fee, but Happy Hour Specials & food available for purchase, of course! RSVP: http://twtvite.com/springtweetupdenver [Please let us know you're coming asap so we know how many to expect!]
NOTE: It’s opening day for the ROCKIES, parking may be a wee bit tight. Carpool and take public transit if you can.
“To mark the beginning of Spring to see old friends and new, and to welcome Mari Smith to Denver.”
Thanks to my Twitter bud, Ashley Kingsley, for spearheading the organizing of this fun tweetup!! To see who’s attending, just go to the Twtvite page here.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 7:30am-9:30am [7:30-8:00am - Check-in & continental breakfast; 8:00-9:30 am - Mari Smith presentation] WHERE: Hotel Albuquerque,800 Rio Grande NW COST: $25 NMAMA members / $40 non-members RSVP: CLICK HERE to register.
JAVA TALK Workshop – Facebook Fortune & Twitter Treasure. How to grow your business using the top two social networks. 90-minute presentation for local business owners and entrepreneurs.
Huge shoutout to @KimGusta who happened to see me tweeting about my retreat at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya and she tweeted/DM’d me inviting me to speak to the AMA. Gotta LOVE Twitter, social media and the sheer power of networking!!
Presented by Peggy McColl. Includes mega book launch party extravaganza for VIRAL EXPLOSIONS
WHEN: Friday April 16, 2010 from 6:30pm-11:00pm (FREE book launch party) Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 8:00am – 6:30pm (The ULTIMATE Success Event) WHERE: Chateau Cartier Hotel (relatively close to downtown Ottawa, Ontario) COST: Friday’s party is FREE! Saturday’s seminar is just $199! RSVP: CLICK HERE to register.
To kick off the official launch of Peggy McColl’s 7th book, Viral Explosions, and ensure you have everything you need to make this your biggest and best year ever . in Life and Business!
LIVE entertainment by Diego the Humor Hypnotist! And Magician, Elliott Smith! And, Singers, Alison Comrie and Kristen Stephen!
Presenters at The ULTIMATE Success Event include Gay Hendricks, Joyce Bone, Scott Stratten, Mike Koenigs, Brian Proctor, David Riklan, Arielle Ford, Steve Shapiro, Ken Brown and more!
This will be one magical event – I look forward to seeing you there! Register now if you can attend.
Let me know in the comments below (and/or on Twitter) if you’re able to attend any of these fun four events!!
Each year, I choose a one-word theme that acts as a guide in all my major decisions and shapes my entire year.
I start thinking about the theme around the beginning of December and simply set the intention that the essence of the word will come to me strongly and clearly at the right time to serve my highest good and the good of those I serve.
In 2008, my one word theme was FOCUS – which I like to make into an acronym for “Follow One Course Until Successful.” Focus certainly paid off in 2008; it was my most successful year up to that point.
In 2009, my one word theme was INFLUENCE – I would ask myself consciously and subconsciously, “Who and what am I allowing to influence me?“
When I wrote this post on December 29, 2008 about choosing Influence for 2009, little did I know then how much my choice would impact my year both personally and professionally!
2009 far exceeded my business and finance goals with an abundance of national and international speaking engagements, lucrative joint ventures, celebrity clients, meeting Richard Branson and the Dalai Lama, the successful launch of my first social media certification course, Mentor With Mari, the co-creation of the International Social Media Association. all topped off with an invitation to attend the 52nd Grammy Awards and walk the red carpet!
In 2009 in my personal life, I chose to stop traveling the country in a motorhome and transition out of my eight-year marriage, as I shared in this post. I couldn’t have imagined sharing such an intimate experience so publicly before social media. Yet, the process was profound for both me and my community.
Now, as we celebrate the completion of 2009 and dance into 2010, my resounding one-word theme is TEAM! This word came to me as I contemplated where I got stuck most this year – where I didn’t allow myself to grow as much as I wanted.
One of my Achilles heels is delegation. I’m blessed to have several skilled team members and to be surrounded by powerful mentors, mastermind partners, coaches and other skilled experts. Yet I allowed myself to get completely stopped or stymied in several areas (like blog development, membership programs, product creation, book writing!) because my calendar got so backed up and I wanted to do so much myself.
Of course, there’s such a thing as balance, right? Whilst my two blogs may have taken a back seat, my Twitter presence, Facebook fan page, professional network and speaking engagements flourished significantly!
You’ve probably heard of the word “TEAM” used as an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More” (or Miracles). I like this. though if you have other creative suggestions, I’m open to ideas!
For me, one of the highlights of the Info-SUMMITSM was meeting legendary marketer, Frank Kern, whom I’d heard so much about for some time.
I love Frank’s highly entertaining style, having read his blog and watched his videos for awhile. I also recently got a copy of Mass Control at the Engage Today event.
But nothing beats live and in person. Frank blends his super smart marketing brain with a complete no-bull, in-your-face hilarious style. (Of course the no-bull part is Frank’s mentor, Dan Kennedy’s, specialty!)
One of the exercises Frank Kern did during his presentation was about getting super clear on what you want to achieve in life and then creating a foolproof system to pay for it all!
Frank brought up on stage the lovely Maritza Parra and proceeded to take her through this process which consisted of three simple columns: (1) Thing you want, (2) How much it costs per month, and (3) Why you want it.
Once you’ve listed a dozen or more things you want (from houses, cars and horses to travel, personal trainer and nanny!), tally up the monthly cost, multiply by 12 then divide by 365 and you have a daily amount you need to earn. Take that daily amount and divide by the dollar amount of the main product/service you sell and that’s how many sales you need to make per day.
Frank makes it all sound so easy! In fact, I created this downloadable form that you can fill out and it will calculate the numbers for you (once you fill in your three columns!): Your Ideal Lifestyle – Clarity Calculator.
Lessons from my social media presentation
Now, on to my own presentation: I spoke about social media success, particularly using Facebook and Twitter to grow your business. I was on a panel first thing on Day 1 as a quick preview of my presentation that evening and all went well.
However, my actual presentation wasn’t my best. In fact – in total transparency – I feel I let much of the audience down by not providing them sufficient content and value, which is the opposite of what I’ve done in all my other talks.
What happened is I chose to work with several speaking/sales coaches at short notice. The impact this had was I deviated from my own natural presentation style so much so that it was uncomfortable for me… and the audience.
My speaking schedule has been super-intense for most of 2009; I had the Info-SUMMITSM engagement booked for about six months, so ought to have given myself more time and practice for such coaching.
As my dear friend and personal trainer, Ashley Mahaffey, said to me, I was like a marathon runner who went out to race with a brand new pair of running shoes and ended up with sore feet and blisters! [Ok, I know this pic is high heels - but imagine running a race in these?!!]
Thing is, much of the Info-SUMMITSM audience provided positive feedback to me and I had a reasonable uptake of the training program I offered, which I’m delighted about. But I just know I could’ve done a whole lot better in hindsight.
As we say in the seminar business, “Correct and continue.”
I did watch the Twitter stream like a hawk and was able to connect with a couple of attendees who expressed their experience of my talk – I was grateful for their constructive feedback.
This is also a great lesson for other seminar attendees on the importance of monitoring what Jermiah Owyang calls the back channel.
[I have since put up a page of free social media resources for Info-SUMMITSM attendees to view/download here.]
Going forward, here are my key takeaways from this experience:
Be more selective about such intense travel and events in 2010 onwards – better to speak at fewer events and do a stellar job than pack in three a week and stress myself out!
Allow plenty room in my schedule for proper planning, rehearsal, coaching and logistics – particularly prior to major events.
Stay with my natural style and my propensity to over-deliver on content and value – even though some schools of thought differ.
Strive to attend the full events I speak at, so as to better compliment the other speakers and provide a more cohesive experience for the audience.
Integrate coaching input over time… and practice on smaller audiences!
If you attended the Info-SUMMITSM, do leave me your feedback below. I’m always open to constructive criticism. Whether you attended the Info-SUMMITSM or not, I’d love to hear your own tales from the trenches about public speaking and selling from the stage in the comments below:
At the recent 140 Twitter Conference, Isparked a bit of controversy on the branding panel that I participated on: I brought up a point that reminds me of the line in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross “ABC, always be closing” and I framed it as “ABM = always be marketing” and “always be me.”
I was fascinated to see the polarized responses from the audience, Twitterverse and one of my fellow panelists. (I’m a big fan of expressing opinions, but it’s not my style to polarize! Oh well!)
To me, Always Be Marketing means that I am extremely mindful and strategic about everything I do online and in public. For example, turquoise and bling is my signature branding color/look/feel – so that’s what I present in public. (Eight percent of my wardrobe is a shade of blue!) And, my persona is upbeat, open, caring, genuine and always helpful, always willing to answer questions particularly about Facebook. This is all part of my brand.
In fact, the greatest compliment I receive is when people meet me in person and say I’m exactly like they thought I would be from how I am online.
With social media so prevalent we are all EXTREMELY visible. Your prospective clients, your peers and your competition can drill as deep as they wish searching, reading and gathering information online about you and posted by you without you ever knowing who’s searching. Depending on what they find, your prospects may choose to do business with you or not.
Being mindful and in “ABM” mode helps with reputation management. To me, ABM means you’re never careless about what you put out there. You see the longevity of everything that’s published. (For the best book on reputation management see, Radically Transparent by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss).
To some folks, the word “marketing” has negative connotations. It’s a word often misinterpreted as meaning “hocking your wares,” “pushing” and being like a used car salesman. That’s unfortunate. There’s a big difference between ABP: always be pushing and ABM: always be marketing!
I unfollow the “ABP” types on Twitter and unfriend or even block them on Facebook. I’m all about connecting and building relationships… and yes, there’s strategy to all that too. What may seem as idle chit-chat on Twitter is 100% visible to the whole world on Twitter. It’s important to always do your best, because you just never know who is watching you.
Perhaps some folks have negative feelings associated with the movie, Glengarry Glen Ross – it’s an intense movie and the question of ethics and integrity in sales is a theme running throughout the film. I certainly would never recommend doing “whatever it takes” to market. It has to be genuine, positive and contribute to your community. Like I say, the ABM also means “always be me” (or, for me, “always be Mari!”
In fact, here’s a couple of my fave nuggets from the #140tc:
What are your thoughts? What does ABM mean to you? Do you consider yourself to be in “marketing mode” at all times – or is it something you turn on and off? Do you apply a special formula to your tweeting style with x% personal and x% business? Is there a clear line between the two, or are you like me and completely blend your social media personal/professional style because you know ultimately people are buying YOU first?! I’d love to hear from you – add your thoughts in the comments below:
A Facebook friend recently mentioned she was intentionally responding to new Facebook friend requests late at night as she didn’t want to clog up her friends’ feeds. Thing is, there’s a setting in your Facebook Privacy to control exactly what gets published on your Facebook Wall and your friends’ News Feeds.
I have my settings tweaked so that when I add a new friend this is not published on my Wall or friends’ News Feeds. One of the main reasons was, like my girlfriend, I didn’t want to clog up my friends’ feeds.
But, also, what I found was that some folks would watch my feed and see who I was becoming friends with, then reach out to them and infer we had a much deeper connection than was so. Such is the nature of Facebook friends — it could be someone brand new you’ve just added or someone you’ve known all your life.
In any case, there are a few settings you may not be aware of either when it comes to what content you choose to publish on your Wall and, by default, out into your friends’ News Feeds.
How to edit your News Feed and Wall settings:
On the top blue navigation bar, mouseover Settings > then click on Privacy Settings > then click on News Feed and Wall as shown in the screenshot below:
On the next screen, check or uncheck the settings as you wish. The screenshot below is exactly how I have my settings:
Add a friend
If you have the “Add a friend” setting checked on your News Feed and Wall privacy section, your Wall could look like this when you confirm friend requests en masse:
Plus, this activity may show up in all your friends’ News Feeds. There could be very strategic reasons to leave this setting checked as maybe you want people to see how many friends you’re adding, or who they are. But my preference is to have it private for reasons mentioned above.
I’ve been at the 5,000 Facebook friend limit since fall 2008 but I do monitor my News Feed very closely to ensure the people in my inner circle are a match for my style and vice versa. (By the way, if ever you remove a friend, no notifications go out at all. I know this is a concern for many folks!)
Show Wall posts or not?
If you also use Facebook for personal purposes and want to keep personal separate from business, you might want to give thought to this Wall setting. In other words, if you prefer to have the Wall posts you write only show up on that friend’s Wall and not be published out into the News Feed of all your friends, uncheck the top setting. (There is a much more granular way to control your Publisher settings which I’ll write about in a separate post).
I tend to be totally open and use Facebook for strategic professional networking 99% of the time. Every action creates visibility so I’m happy for all Wall posts to go into all friends’ feeds.
One thing to consider though is when you’re wishing your friends a happy birthday. Whether it’s you or an assistant that writes birthday greetings, you might want to be aware that every Wall post may go out into your friends’ News Feed assuming the “Show Wall posts” setting is checked. If you have a lot of friends and all you write is “Happy Birthday” on your friends’ Walls one after the other, frankly, I think it looks automated and impersonal. Instead, I suggest mixing up the birthday greetings and perhaps even spacing them out a bit.
Change relationship status
Again, it’s a personal choice. But, for me, I recently went through a personal transition as I wrote about here and I didn’t want to broadcast that news via Facebook. This setting may be irrelevant to most people – but it’s certainly one you should be aware of.
Here’s what your friends might see in their Highlights section on their Home Page, unless the setting is unchecked:
Let me know if you found this post useful and how you like to have your News Feed and Wall settings in the Comments section below. Have you taken advantage of the really granular publishing and privacy settings? What’s your biggest question(s) about these settings?
I’m often asked how I got started in social media and became so successful and well known. Well, first I like to think I’m humble and am just “one of the peeps” like everyone else, which is true. But I do recognize my business has really exploded in the past eighteen months, and so I thought I’d come up with a list of contributing factors that you might find of benefit too:
1. Get lucky!
My definition of luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Since ‘99, I had pursued a path of relationship marketing, internet marketing, and success coaching… all of which culminated in social media when I got invited to join an alpha team of a Facebook app in 2007. I joke about being an “overnight success ten years in the making” – perhaps you can relate?! But all these years were preparation for my passion and purpose to intersect. I’d been preparing for many years, then an opportunity presented itself and I took ACTION!
2. Self-knowledge.
I’m a raving fan of personality assessments. I’ve taken over fifteen assessments, including Myers Briggs, DISC, Reiss, Kolbe’s, iWAM, PIAV, the Enneagram… you may be familiar with some of these. I believe it’s not enough to just do one assessment. By understanding yourself – and ultimately others – at a deep level, you’re better able to design a lifestyle and career that motivates you and meets your needs.
3. FOCUS.
I love the acronym for the word “focus”: Follow One Course Until Successful. Every year I choose a one-word theme for my entire year. In 2008, my word was focus – I did not deviate from my path of predominantly Facebook education which lead to many, many doors opening.
4. Influence.
My one-word focus for 2009 is influence. I ask myself, “Who and what am I allowing to influence me?” In terms of social media, we all have equal opportunity to build up significant influence. Your “tribe” is made up of people who know, like and trust you. They may hang on your every word. That’s a responsible position to be in!
5. Be yourself
“Be yourself because everybody else is already taken.” I love this quote almost as much as I love this Dr. Seuss quote: “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” This goes along with my notion that there is no competition. Nobody can offer the exact same product or service in the way that you offer it with your personal touch. This goes for big brands too. Be yourself is also all about authenticity and transparency in social media.
6. Know what you want.
One of my mentors, T. Harv Eker, used to say the #1 reason people don’t get what they want in life is they don’t know what they want. Hmm. So, of course, the secret is to get super clear on exactly what it is you want. This goes for personal, life and business goals whether you’re a solopreneur or CEO of a big company. In social media, what are your objectives – more visibility? Increase in traffic, subscribers, fans, followers, friends? Then what? How will you convert them to paying clients?
7. Have a plan
The main reason people fail in social media is lack of a strategy. There’s so much confusing and conflicting advice out there, it’s easy to get lost in the social media jungle. By having a clear objective, developing a strategy to accomplish that objective, and measuring milestones along the way, you’re bound to have better results.
8. Stay on track.
This goes along with #3 above, FOCUS. It’s all too easy to get distracted and go down a million rabbit holes as I call them. Or to have “multiple-hat syndrome” where you have about six different businesses. Much as it’s fine to have multiple streams of income, I strongly recommend youstay on course with one primary business until that venture is at the level of success you want.
9. Add value.
R. Buckminster Fuller talked about the importance of adding value and that your financial wealth is a direct reflection of how much value you add to the world. Sometimes it’s easy to think you don’t want to give away the store. But I really think we cannot give it all away because every day new ideas, techniques and strategies come along… so give generously. And help promote and build others up.
10. Broadcast the postive.
I love to focus only on updates that are upbeat and positive. I’m a glass-half-full type of person anyway. What often gives Twitter a bad name is people think we just sit around and share about trivia… well, some people do! But I like to say nothing at all if I can’t think of something of value to say. We have a position of responsibility to influence others in a positive way, to create positive ripples. At the end of the day, you want to be the voice that is remembered, not just heard. (Kudos to my friend, Nancy Marmolejo, where I first heard this awesome saying!)
11. Surround yourself with successful mentors.
In order to get to the next level in life and business, it’s important to seek the counsel of experienced mentors who are several levels above where you are now. The best investment you can make is in yourSELF. Not just business, professional and financial training. But in deep personal, spiritual and emotional growth too. Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world, so the more you grow yourself the more successful you’ll become.
12. Take imperfect action.
One of my mentors last year, Kevin Nations, has this great saying, “Winners take imperfect action while others are sitting around perfecting their plans.” Well, I’m a recovering perfectionist! I used to have to wait until every duck was in a row. Now, I make myself just GO for it. When I first announced my social media certification program earlier this year, I really wanted to wait awhile longer, but I went for it anyway because I’d already waited 18 months… and was simply astounded by the overwhelming response! (I’ll be announcing dates for the next program just as soon as possible!)
13. Correct and continue.
Did you know a rocketship is only on course 3% of the time? The remaining 97% it’s course-correcting. This is true for us. At every turn, we have an opportunity to put something out there, test it, make a correction, test again. But if you keep waiting for things to be perfect, you’ll never launch. So, for sure, due your due diligence, then take imperfect action, then correct and continue!! And, the faster your correct, the better… especially with social media being so prevalent because people notice your mistakes quicker!
14. Be willing to be a bit “out there.”
By this I mean, be a bit off the wall, a bit crazy. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun. I love to goof around with my avatars on Twitter – I call it my avataritis and my favorite is my avatiara! Check out my avatar slideshow here and this great post What does your avatar say about you by Maureen Birdsall.
15. LIVE WITH PASSION!!
“Live with passion” is one of my favorite Tony Robbins sayings! Tony certainly embodies passion, as does my friend, Gary Vaynerchuk. If you ever get the chance to see Tony or Gary live on stage – GO! Both are hugely vibrant, larger-than-life, passionate peeps!!
I hope you found a few good nuggets in here for yourself. What are some of your secrets to success? Feel free to share below:
I created this five-part model – the ABC’s of Social Media – to simplify your social media efforts. Many folks come to social media and attempt to short-circuit the process by over-automating, over-broadcasting, over-delegating and miss out the vital component of connecting, engaging and building relationships.
Once you’ve confirmed your target market uses Facebook and Twitter, and you’re happy with your brand, messaging and systems for capturing leads, etc., here’s how the ABC system works:
Automate
First, set up systems to automate your broadcasts, feeds, updates, content. On Twitter, this could be using Twitterfeed to automatically post your blog feed as tweets. To pre-schedule tweets, use TweetLater and/or Hootsuite.
Import your blog post on Facebook using the Notes app and/or the Networked Blogs app.
Aggregate all your social feeds into FriendFeed and add the FriendFeed app to your Facebook Profile.
There are many more ways to automate; these are a great start. However, I do recommend not over-automating. Pre-scheduling and auto-broadcasting are great to ensure you at least have some content going out daily. But you’ll also want to generate real-time content/broadcasts too.
Broadcast
Broadcasts are what I call regular tweets (as opposed to @ replies), Facebook status updates, posts on Facebook, blog posts and more. In fact, any way of pushing your message “out there.” This could be seen as more traditional “push marketing” though you’re not being pushy, per se. It’s important to broadcast your content and, in fact, broadcast others’ content in the form of retweets, favorites, socialbookmarks and the Links app on Facebook.
Now the challenge with many businesses using social media is they stop at “B” – in other words, they just repeat the cycle of automate and broadcast, automate and broadcast. It’s hard to know who’s behind the Twitter account or Facebook page. It’s all about pushing content and there’s hardly any engagement. So the third step is vital to your success in social media:
Connect
On Twitter, this is the art of joining, initiating and responding to conversations via @ replies. Using popular third party clients like Tweetdeck, or Twhirl , you can easily track and respond to @yourname mentions.
On Facebook, create Friend Lists with your key contacts, drag that friend list to the top of your News Feed and now that’s your default view [see screenshot to the right]. Then, even in just a few minutes a day on Facebook, you can easily connect by commenting appropriately.
Acknowledge your friends’ birthdays on both Facebook and Twitter. [On Facebook, all your friends' upcoming birthdays are listed on your Home Page on the right; you can also receive a weekly list of upcoming birthdays via regular email: click Settings > Account Settings > Notifications > under the first segment (Facebook) click Show More > make sure "Has a birthday coming up" is turned ON.]
Look for other occasions to celebrate and acknowledge. And, look for ways to introduce and promote others, compliment, add value.
Subscribe to a number of popular blogs and regularly post your comments. When writing your own blog posts, encourage your readers to comment by asking stimulating questions.
Delegate
If you’re serious about integrating social media into your marketing efforts, before long you simply cannot manage everything yourself. Depending on the size of your company, you may well have a member of staff who’s sole responsibility is to be the voice and face of the company, often called a “brandividual.”
Or, you may choose to hire a competent, trained VA (Virtual Assistant) or social networking assistant – at least to help set up and manage the basics. I usually recommend you do not delegate your voice, though most of us know some celebrities have “ghost tweeters!” [There are many sources to find good VAs, including on Twitter via the directory Twellow.com - that way you can find, follow and monitor their style before even contacting them.]
One major task you can delegate is to track and monitor your reputation by setting up Google alerts and tweet alerts (via TweetBeep and/or TweetLater which is a suite of helpful Twitter tools). Look for your evangelists who are always singing your praises so you can connect, empower and incentivize them more. And, also look for negative activity that needs to be responded to and ideally nipped in the bud. [The best book on reputation management is Radically Transparent by Andy Beal and Judy Strauss.]
Evaluate
As quickly as you set up your social media systems, something new comes along or the big sites introduce new features. Facebook are constantly adding a tweak here and there, sometimes minor but often major. It’s important you stay informed and regularly evaluate how your systems are working for you. Are you meeting your objectives? Are you getting a good ROI (return on investment) and ROT (return on time). Have you thoroughly researched where your target market hang out most and are you reaching them effectively? How can you think outside the box, get more creative and innovative to stay ahead of the curve?
Let me know your thoughts on my ABC’s of Social Media model – did I miss anything critical? Does it help you better understand how you can effectively use the giants like Facebook and Twitter? Please do retweet this post too, assuming you found it valuable!
This book is a powerful step-by-step guide to generating significantly more sales using many proven techniques, along with tapping into the power of social media, how to be seen to sell, and how to build lasting, prosperous relationships!
I am thrilled and honored to be one of only four contributing authors. My chapter is called, How To Effectively Use Facebook To Find Your Ideal Work, Build Your Brand, and Increase Your Sales.
Hop over to Dave’s book site now and be sure to first order your copy of this awesome new book today. And then enter your name, email address and receipt number on Dave’s amazing bonuses page for lots of free goodies and plenty chances to win BIG!
Today, Dave will be randomly choosing winners each hour to receive free cameras, iPods, products, and private consultations. Plus, three peeps will win Dave’s $10k Grand Prize of a one day in person consultation to transform your business. Whew, that rocks! As the saying goes, you have to be IN to WIN!
As my own special bonus gift, here’s another super-duper special opportunity for you: a chance to WIN a scholarship to attend my Fast Track to Social Marketing Mastery program! (Worth $5k).
It’s an intense six-week program, very limited in size, typically only available via invitation. (See a quick overview of Social Marketing Mastery here). The next program is coming up fast on June 11th. We meet for six consecutive weeks via my private webinar room, plus one-on-one time with me to help you get big and go viral using social media!
Here’s how to enter:
It’s real simple; just write a comment here on this blog post (or in the comments section below if you’re reading this inside Facebook) telling me these THREE things:
Where you’re feeling stuck with Facebook/Twitter/social media.
How you think your business would benefit most from a rapid immersion in high-level social marketing training.
Why I should pick you as the winner of this scholarship.
That’s it! I’ll choose a winner by midnight tonight (June 9th) and will contact you via email. (I will be verifying with Dave that you got a copy of his book!)
NOTE: if you wish your comment/entry to remain private, please include the words “don’t publish” and I will read your comment offline and it won’t be published. (Of course, this only applies on my blog, not on Facebook).
I’m already a natural networker. However, I dove deep into this magical world on a team of beta testers for a Facebook app.
PLUS, the Loveland Chamber are serving Aqua Mari’tinis in my honor – gotta love that!! Follow the @
A 
One thing to consider though is when you’re wishing your friends a happy birthday. Whether it’s you or an assistant that writes birthday greetings, you might want to be aware that every Wall post may go out into your friends’ News Feed assuming the “Show Wall posts” setting is checked. If you have a lot of friends and all you write is “Happy Birthday” on your friends’ Walls one after the other, frankly, I think it looks automated and impersonal. Instead, I suggest mixing up the birthday greetings and perhaps even spacing them out a bit.
My definition of luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Since ‘99, I had pursued a path of relationship marketing, internet marketing, and success coaching… all of which culminated in social media when I got invited to join an alpha team of a 
I love the acronym for the word “focus”: Follow One Course Until Successful. Every year I choose a one-word 
6. Know what you want.
This goes along with #3 above, FOCUS. It’s all too easy to get distracted and go down a million rabbit holes as I call them. Or to have “multiple-hat syndrome” where you have about six different businesses. Much as it’s fine to have multiple streams of income, I strongly recommend you stay on course with one primary business until that venture is at the level of success you want.
One of my mentors last year, 
15. LIVE WITH PASSION!!
I created this five-part model – the ABC’s of Social Media – to simplify your social media efforts. Many folks come to social media and attempt to short-circuit the process by over-automating, over-broadcasting, over-delegating and miss out the vital component of connecting, engaging and building relationships.
On 
