I received a suggestion from LinkedIn this morning, “Jerry, join these 4 groups we’ve recommended for you.” I reviewed the four groups and determined LinkedIn’s selections were logical, but not strategic.

The  suggestions involved groups whose members were either professional colleagues or peers. Great opportunity if my goal was to keep an eye on those who market similar services. Lousy idea if my goal was to connect with those who buy my services.

If you want to leverage your investment in social networking groups, stop marketing to your peers.

Here are some tips for making sense of social networking groups.

• Define Your Goal – are you trying to get in front of qualified prospects, build credibility by demonstrating your expertise or join a mutual admiration society?
• Be of Service – Choose to engage groups where you can create value instead of noise.
• Facilitate, Don’t Lead* - Some of the most lively discussions come from asking thoughtful questions.
• Listen Carefully – You will be amazed at the wealth of customer intelligence you will obtain.
• Seek Opportunity – Use what you learn to create new products and services ahead of your competition.

*Clients follow Leaders who know where they are going.

I hope these tips help you lead, not follow, your competition.

He has just released a new report,  ”Streams, Walls, and Feeds: 109 Design Guidelines for Improving Notifications, Messages, and Alerts Sent Through Social Networks and RSS”.

If everyone used commonsense to build and publish websites, we wouldn’t need Nielsen’s insights. This latest release provides the metrics behind Social Media Usability user testing. The true value of his reports comes from his delivery of why usability is important. I’ve paid hundreds for his reports, but not this time, this one is free. If you are serious about making technology work, I recommend you download this 210 page report now.

That was then, this is now. I received a call the other day requesting help with three tasks, making changes to an eCommerce installation, a question about how to sort an Excel workbook, and ideas about developing an online product strategy. I wish I could say we focused on the most important (product strategy), but instead we worked on the urgent (editing the product setting). The application training got outsourced to local support.

I’m sorry, I just can no longer do it all. In fact, I shouldn’t even try. Both my Board of Directors and my loyal clients want me to focus on what I do best, making technology work. Which for now means developing, deploying and tracking your digital marketing strategy. Not to worry, I’m going to share how I “Read the Manual”. Hopefully these tips will help when you’re leveraging your online learning.

Prior to Purchase

If you’re fixing to buy a new smartphone, digital camera or other device, start by downloading the user manual. There are just too many makes and models for retail sales people to determine if the product will fit your specific needs. Go online and search for “user manual” plus the make and model. Once you have the PDF, review the Table of Contents and the Index to see if it’s just what you’re looking for. This worked great for a client’s recent purchase of a Galaxy Stratosphere from Verizon. Way to go Mark of EZCarCreditFL.com!

Before You Open an Account

Many software services provide a free account during a  limited time offer. Great idea, but don’t sign up until you’re ready to put it to a real (limited) test. Make use of all new member resources including white papers and resource guides. MailChimp is the king of this jungle.

Building an Internet Game Plan

The evolution of digital marketing has created a virtual monster of programs, apps, and services that all need to work together to create a successful web presence. Unfortunately, vendors often crow loudly about the virtues of their individual trees without regard to how it will grow in your online forest. Dig into their offering to find the most important element, do they play well with others? Make sure they provide “hooks” that allow you to share data between the applications you rely on each day.

Build a Library

I own a network of PCs, an iPad and an Android smartphone. All are connected via DropBox. I’ve built a virtual library of resource guides I can access from any device when I need to “Read the Manual” or attend a self-paced study session of my very own.

I gave up understanding computer hardware the day I lit one on fire. Now I’m giving up application training and support. But if you’re serious about creating a Digital Marketing Game Plan, I’m all ears. Give me a call 727-278-9382, let’s get together to see how I can help you become the Master of Your Digital Domain.

People started taking sides, followed by posts contained cordial respect, all the while reinforcing friendships and entrenched positions. Meanwhile, the issue of self-promotion on Social Networks got very little ink. Lots of heat, zero illumination.

I’m baffled why we have all the technology we need, but can’t seem to make it work. The challenge of Facebook seems to be, how to get business leaders to accept the idea that there are different types of digital marketing.You simply can’t engage in self promotion.

There are three arenas for digital marketing:

• Paid Media - Banner ads, paid search listings, Skyscraper ads. You paid for it, you can self promote to beat the band. Insert your ad here.
• Owned Media - Your web site, blog, social networking profile. You own it, so you can publish whatever you want.
• Earned Media - Social networks, review sites, blog sites. Hard to earn, but by far the the most valuable.

Many marketers confuse the different types and foolishly believe they can treat earned media as if they owned it. You can’t buy it or even rent it. That’s why it’s called earned media. If  you find yourself struggling to make sense of earned media, follow these DOs and DON’Ts:

• Don’t publish self-serving content, ad’s or news in the social networking arena.
• Do build relationships with customers and fans transforming them into advocates who will toot your virtual horn with Facebook Likes, FB group posts, Twitter retweets, and LinkedIn recommendations.
• Don’t name or place drop unless you can prove the value to the reader. If you just returned from a world tour, tell me why I should care, or what you learned along the way. Nobody likes to sit through a boring travelogue.
• Do share special offers or events on your Facebook page (not profile). This is where your followers expect to see your promotions.
• Do post comments on blogs or groups, but focus on the value to the community, not yourself.

I believe the key to creating value in the social arena is to first provide value. Build your street cred, let your followers build your movement. Better to be famous than infamous.

During a recent lead acquisition project, one of my automotive clients was surprised to learn that over 20% of their web traffic started on a mobile device. We were able to track the shopping pattern of one new client and found a mix of mobile and home computer web visits over a one week period leading to the sale. The most valuable insight we learned is how much the two paths differed.

The home user conducted initial research, was methodical, conducted a broader search and invested time to aquire detailed information. The mobile user was spontaneous, in a hurry, focused on local resources and completing an immediate goal. Our analysis revealed that a mobile marketing strategy requires more than simply scaling a web page to fit a small screen.

Five Steps for Developing a Mobile Marketing Strategy

Mobile marketing requires a different approach. Here are some tips you can use to create an initial mobile strategy.

1. Find your mobile prospects and follow them around. We used Google Analytics to zero in on visitors who were using mobile browsers. Identify mobile users and document the flow of their visits. Were they standing in line at the post office, were they responding to an ad during the Superbowl?
2. Switch to your customer hat and use mobile technology to view your marketing message. My clients use a mobile WordPress Theme to adjust the display to match their technology. I use MailChimp for my email broadcasts because they support, HTML, Text and Mobile formats.
3. Develop lead acquisition campaigns that build on the strength of mobile marketing, “hear” and now, local, instant gratification.
4. Adopt a mobile mindset. It’s easy to imagine a prospect viewing your marketing while sitting in front of a computer. Get up from the desk, break the tether and go outside. Imagine how a mobile prospect will move through your marketing.
5. Use mobile technology appropriately. Effective QR code campaigns are highly structured. Follow the Print + Mobile + Mobile strategy. Print the code and present as a written invitation. Present the code in a mobile environment. Deliver the content in a mobile format for immediate consumption.

As with all digital marketing, the key is not technology, it’s connecting with people. By focusing on how, when and where your prospects use mobile technology, you deliver what they need, build a loyal following and dazzle them with your savvy marketing skills.

Resources

Want to know more? Check out the Summit Strategies from the Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit, December 2011 San Francisco.

What Do Your Think?

Are you using mobile marketing in novel ways? I invite you to share your brilliance with my followers.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the change, don’t give up, just go back to school. I recommend you consider a History class, your own history. Last week I attended a 30-minute webinar sponsored by Hubspot and Facebook. The key to the new layout is to record your organization’s history.

• When were you founded?
• What were the important milestones along the way that lead to your success?
• What innovative breakthroughs are you experiencing right now?

The four part series, broadcast monthly, will explore how to leverage the new format. I really like the 30 minute format, there’s no time for idle chatter. The best part of the first session was the 9 tips presented near the end:

1. Start by setting your Cover (brand) and Profile (logo) images.
2. Add Milestones, the important events in your organizations history.
3. Pin important stories to the top of the page (lasts for 7 days).
4. Post at least twice a week with the focus on ‘Lightweight Interaction”.
5. Manage your page through the new Admin Panel.
6. You can now respond to a personal message sent to your page.
7. Take time to rearrange your views + apps.
8. Use the Star function to highlight specific updates (formats them fullwidth).
9. Claim your Vanity URL (visit Facebook.com/username/).

Resources

Use the links below to attend the on-demand recorded Webinar to learn all the details or visit a successful implementation of the new Page Timeline.

On-demand Webinar

The Economist – articles from our history starting in 1840.

QR (Quick Response) marketing codes produce almost the same response. The idea of quickly connecting mobile users to your valuable offer looks great on the outside, then  you find out it’s just another hollow digital marketing ploy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the technology but the implementation that kills this novel marketing idea.

Developed to eliminate the need for mobile prospects to type your web address, QR codes have become the ‘one size-fits-most solution’ for marketers who are looking for something new to lure buyers to their valuable offers. The effectiveness of QR codes depend on a very specific deployment. Here’s how they work.

The QR code is created to represent a web address, then printed on an ad. The prospect encounters the ad and uses the camera in their mobile device to snap a phone. Reader software is used to translate the image into a URL then the mobile browser displays the web page. All the planets must align to make it work:

• The prospect needs to be away from their computer
• The code must appear in print
• The page displayed must appear clearly within the mobile browser
• The prospect must be able to use the offer immediately.

What kills this technology is it’s too hard to use and it only works in a limited environment.

If you’re interested in making this technology work, start with the task, not the tool. The very best use of QR codes is coupon delivery. Print an ad with a QR code that delivers a coupon to a prospect’s phone. Limit it’s use to today only and prospects will flock to your sale.

Interested in learning more about QR Codes? Visit Forbes.com for Jennifer Hicks article, Are We ReallyReady for QR Codes?

Don’t let the funny name keep you from checking out this serious email solution. MailChimp is the only provider I’ve found that has figured out how to deliver your precious email marketing to a mobile audience. For those of you who struggle to publish a monthly newsletter, MailChimp provides templates that automatically include your blog-based newsletter content without having to cut and paste, format and repeat. You don’t even need to schedule publication. As you build your campaign you can chose to broadcast daily, weekly or once a month. For traveling artists, a valuable feature is the ability to send to event announcements to only fans from a specific area.

You Don’t Need to be a Rock Star

Even if all you play is air guitar, MailChimp’s features make you look like a pro. I use their Android app to manage my email marketing campaigns while on the road. Their templates include the ability to create invitations to YouTube, EventBrite, GotoWebinar and Facebook Events.

MailChimp Field Guide

Even if you’re happy with your current provider, you owe it to yourself to check out their resources for email marketer. Their field guide contains valuable information even it you don’t have a MailChimp account. Rock Stars should check out the MailChimp For Musicians guide. I recommend you check out the entire library.

Email marketing is an essential part of a successful Internet Game Plan. Don’t wait for qualified prospects to happen by your website, meet them where they are!

The change places them back in the neighborhood with their trading partners, Australia and New Zealand. It means birthdays, aniversaries and other events will be celebrated on the same day by extended families. By sharing the same workweek between neighboring businesses, productivity should soar.

What is most remarkable about the change is not that everyone agreed to throw away the last Friday of the year, or the challenge of contracts coming due on the missing day. I’m amazed that it took so long to make the change. When Samoans got out of bed this morning they didn’t need to reset clocks. They just flipped the calendar to January. No computer crashes, no lost wages (everyone got paid for Friday).

As you consider your new year resolutions, consider raising the bar, go bold, think big.

May each day of 2012 be Just Another Day in Paradise!

It’s like those holiday buffets where everyone scrambles to be first in line, thinking the food is going to run out. We pile our plates to the ceiling because we don’t want to miss anything. Try as we might, we still end up wasting food. After all is said and done, we ask, why wasn’t I more sensible?

It reminds me of Social Networking which is a lot like all those buffets you are going to encounter this holiday season. So let me offer you a gift to help you get through your holiday feasts and help you navigate Social Networking at the same time.

Social Networking Diet

• Know what’s available – Before you jump into the line, take time to check out the buffet to learn what’s available. Just because there is a feast of Social Networking technology out there doesn’t mean you need to use everything in sight.
• Know what you need – As a diabetic, I’ve done the research to understand what I need to create balanced nutrition. Take the time to learn how your prospects and clients use social networking so you can create a balanced strategy for your organization.
• Make sensible choices – I love jelly beans, but I know they shouldn’t be the main course. It’s okay to sample Twitter, but should you use it as your primary social networking channel?

We are all going to get stuffed this holiday season. Before you have to resort to a crash diet or swear off social networking all together, consider starting with a sensible approach. Do the work, make the effort, earn the rewards.

May your December be Just Another Holiday in Paradise!