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The Gradual Drop Out of “Friends” on FaceBook
I’ve noticed a few drop outs. Is it because I am Conservative? Overweight? LDS? Or perhaps just that I tend to be a bit outspoken on the topic of internet marketing, and a bit of a radical in that arena? Given the volume of hit and run marketers on FaceBook, I’m willing to bet the latter as the most likely cause!
That will happen though. And it should happen if you are conducting business well. High integrity makes good friends. Longlasting ones. But it also makes enemies, even if you are not setting out to offend or annoy.
It should be noted, I’ve never spammed anyone on FaceBook, the only Pms I’ve sent have been offers of help without pay, and I do not send invites or any other annoyance. I don’t leave a signature line on anyone’s Wall, even. I just try to build relationships. So it isn’t that – at least I know I didn’t TRY to annoy anyone!
If this rambling commentary has a point, it is merely that on a venue like FaceBook, where you cannot tell anything about people until after you’ve made the connection, drop outs are inevitable. And they don’t mean anything more than the connection meant in the first place – that is, next to nothing!
Business and Marketing Systems – The Real Definition
The term “business system” and the term “marketing system” have been corrupted and used online to mean something far removed from what they actually are. They are not quick, prepackaged solutions that run on auto-pilot to make money (and absurd concept to begin with). They are, in fact, customized, individualized, and carefully practiced routines and tools, which, in combination with skill in using them, will make your business and marketing faster, more effective, and more predictable.
The catch is, that for virtually every small business, you cannot buy them. You must either create them yourself, or hire an expert to help you create it. Sounds pretty daunting, but let me explain a little more, so you can perhaps catch the least, and the fullest, meaning of the concept.
If you have email come in every morning from clients, friends, online networks, and other, you may eventually decide that you have too much to sort through efficiently. You may decide that you’d rather deal with all of your network email at one specific time each day instead of having it disturb your work. So you set up a folder for it in your email program, and a filter which takes all of the email that comes in with the network subject line (or sender), and puts it automatically into that folder. Then you look at it at the end of the day, or over your lunch, or whenever you’ve designated for that set of tasks.
That is a very simple example of a system! You spotted a problem, and you developed a standard method of handling it, partly through routine, partly through customizing a tool to do part of it for you.
Most businesses have many systems, which, combined, give you a full functioning business. When someone packages the whole thing and sells it, it is called a “Franchise”. But even a franchise takes time to learn, and is not a magic formula for success!
Look at what you do each day. Are you doing anything that is repetitive and time consuming? How can you make it more efficient? How can you make the outcome more predictable? Can you use a form, boilerplate text, an automated tool, a piece of software, a set of containers, or anything else to make it faster or more effective?
You can do this with marketing also. Store frequently used text for repeat use. Create multiple sizes of logo graphics for use across the net, and a standardized personal photo for use in networking. When you fill out a form and it asks for info that you are likely to need again, copy it and save it. Set goals for specific numbers of networking contacts or backlinks each week, then pay attention to thinking of ways to make it faster to do it. Analyze the performance rules for your business, and record them to be used again. Develop guidelines, test them, and if they hold over a series of tests, adopt them as business policy.
Successful systems are one of the key differences between successful businesses, and those that struggle perpetually and never quite make it. If you want to make the break into success, then you need to apply some science to developing effective systems to make the tasks you do ever day more efficient.
The power is inconceivable until you experience it.
The Power in a Nametag
If you are going to network offline, the first thing you need to do is get a nametag. But not just ANY nametag!
It has to be special. It should be as unique as your business, and it should give the same kind of feel that your business gives.
We began networking through a Chamber about a year ago. We went to the first few and slapped those sticky nametags on. Then we thought it would be neat to have nice nametags, so we talked to a friend who does engraving. He showed us a range of options, metal, plastic, wood. We chose red alder wood. Lovely, distinctive, and attention getting in a warm and homey way. A good match for our business name.
The cost? $10 each. Pricey for a nametag, but priceless in what it got us.
We get comments on those nametags all the time, but more importantly, people actually read them. The nametag catches their eye – when we don’t know how to mingle well in a group, people will ask us about those nametags – they become an ice breaker.
Because they have our name and business name on them, people remember us better. Since our names are right there, people do not feel pressured to remember us from one time to the next, they’ll just look at our nametags if they forgot and save some embarrassment.
They have been the absolute best investment we’ve made to facilitate local networking. We now wear them every time we make an appearance in a professional capacity. It looks professional, and helps make us memorable.
I put mine on before I leave the house, and do not take it off until I come home. I often have to sidetrack to the grocery store after a meeting, and have been approached in the grocery store by people asking what I do.
Our suggestions for getting a good name tag?
1. Choose the right material. Select something that echoes the feel of your business, and that is distinctive. An unusual nametag often has more power than a common type. It is such a small expense that even the expensive ones are still affordable and you only need one!
2. Put your name on one line. Put your business name on another. If you need your URL on it, put that on. DO NOT put anything else! There is not room, and it is too hard to read! Just keep it simple, and keep the things that people can remember easily on it. It is not a business card – they are reading it on your chest, so keep it SIMPLE!
3. Get a magnet backed one. They won’t fall off, and they don’t damage clothes. They are easy to move around once they are on also, to get them straight. The magnet is strong enough that you can take it off, put the clip back over the magnet back, and then stick it to your filing cabinet. The magnet will adhere to the filing cabinet through the clip! Nice storage spot!
Our nametags have been so effective that we now order one for each employee. Truly one of the best things we ever did.
Networking Vampires
On every forum or networking venue, these people lurk, waiting for fresh victims, new groups to attack. Then they swoop down, and blast their ads all over any space that is made available for them to do so, effectively attempting to suck the blood out of the other members. There for what they can TAKE.
They feel that any forum is there for them to advertise to. Every post an opportunity to self-promote, every spot they can leave a note, nothing more than a place for self-serving purposes.
Nobody loves a vampire. Online, this kind of person inspires boredom, disgust, a sort of gloomy dread, but never admiration. No one bothers purchasing from them, because they give nothing to make anyone feel the desire to do so!
Networking WORKS, when you GIVE first. You give kindness, encouragement, advice (when you are sure of your information), resources even when they are not your own, and you develop truly respectful friendships. Therein lies the power of networking.
I had three experiences this week that let me know that giving is what does it.
I was selected as the Member of the Month for an organization. Many people who chimed in to congratulate me, were people I barely knew the names of – but they felt they knew me, simply because I’d posted something of value that they’d appreciated, and because I volunteer for the organization in a visible capacity.
I also finally decided to try out another networking venue. When I did so, I was amazed at the number of people that connected with me, whom I had no idea felt that they knew me, and who put notices on my profile saying so. They had read my posts for years, and I had no idea that anyone had been influenced by them in the way they said.
The third instance consisted of someone who needed a web designer in a hurry. This person said that when they knew they needed one, they knew they wanted to work with me, because of something I’d said, and because of other exposures they’d had to what they felt was good counsel from me. I did not know the person, but they felt they knew me, just because I’d been there, and I’d said something good.
I’m no champion networker. I’m often selfish and don’t get it right more than I do get it right. But by a consistent desire and effort to better the lives of others on the forums in which I participate, people feel they know me, and many respect what I say enough that when they have a need, they come to me first. If I’d splattered ads, they’d feel that I was selfish, and only there for what I could get. I want to help people though… that is what I put as my first goal in networking, and the business comes from that, because in my line of work, helping people is what it is all about anyway.
It isn’t that hard to find ways to say something nice. Sometimes it takes some thought or practice, but it DOES pay you back in time, and when it does, it is surprising how it does so!
Networking with Old Faithful
Old Faithful really isn’t faithful! If you ask most people why it is named as it is, they will say, “Because it erupts regularly.” And actually, it doesn’t!
Old Faithful erupts frequently, compared to most geisers. But the eruptions are irregularly spaced, from 30 minutes to 90 minutes or so. It isn’t regular at all!
Because Old Faithful is frequent enough that nobody has to wait very long for it to show up, even if it isn’t there all the time, every time, it is predictable enough that people BELIEVE it is regular.
There’s a lesson there. In networking, you have to show up. You don’t have to be there every time, but you have to be there the majority of the time. You don’t have to be on time every time, but you do have to get there nearly every time.
If you do, people will think you are Old Faithful. They will believe you are always there, even when you aren’t! They will think you are reliable, and they’ll assume that your business is too.
So just keep trying. If you get it 90% of the time, people will be willing to believe that you got it the other 10% also.
That’s a powerful networking advantage.
Blatant Abuse on Merchant Circle
I hear people tell me what a great networking arena Merchant Circle is. Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m just not seeing it. I’m seeing a lot of pseudo-networking going on, with people gaming the system, but I’m not seeing any real opportunities to connect in a meaningful way.
Here is what people are doing:
Merchant Circle allows people to review other businesses, to give a comment on services or products received. The purpose is stated as giving people a way to get good info on other businesses, from customers.
Only members are using it in a way that can only be called unethical. They get in and review each other – when they’ve not so much as even TALKED to another person. “This business is great.” from someone I’ve never heard of. I’ve had two reviews. I don’t reciprocate those, though they obviously expect me to do so. I will not perjure my integrity to get a comment which isn’t worth the time it took to type.
It is all false, and dishonest. That isn’t what the system was set up for. If it were my website, I’d penalize anyone who reviewed a business falsely. Otherwise, the entire system is just a hollow pretense.
The Death of the Squeeze Page
I’d like all squeeze pages and one page websites to just go away. I am so tired of the hype, the deception, and the number of people I encounter who are taken in by them, or who think that the only way to run a business is to pressure, push, and grab, instead of giving, caring, and presenting something honestly.
I know good people who just don’t get it. They practice the tactics they’ve been told over and over, without thinking about what they mean, or that there might be any way to do better.
All I’d like is for them to read their words from the point of view of their audience – but to do that, they have to turn off all the programming they’ve been given that warps their sense of what their audience really does want. Sometimes we get things stuck in our head that are false, and even when someone explains why they are false, we cannot get past it to really know what they mean.
You don’t have to lie, or deceive to earn. You don’t have to come anywhere near it. And every single person that I see using the dishonest internet marketing tactics that are used on squeeze pages, would agree with me on that, while never even grasping that they are being dishonest themselves – that I mean something other than what they do when I say it.
If you say, “My friends and associates think I should charge more for this, they think I’m crazy for almost giving away this item which is worth $147 (or $97, or $297) for just $47 (or $27, or $97)”, then YOU are being dishonest. I’ve seen those words countless times on websites, and every single time I know that they are saying it because they’ve been taught that saying it is some kind of “secret for success”, when in fact, all it is, is a lie. Your friends and associates didn’t even get told what you were doing ahead of time. You wrote your standard copy without consulting anyone, because it is one in a long line of things you churn out over the course of the year. If they didn’t actually SAY that, then you lied.
The sad thing is, that those tactics drive away some of your best customers. The ones who will come back, refer friends, and help your business grow in ways you never dreamed. Maybe you do get buyers – but you are going after crumbs when you could be enjoying a feast!
Going Up Against Wal-Mart
In this article, we are using Wal-Mart to represent big business. It is not meant in any kind of derogatory way (heck, we LIKE Wal-Mart, it allows us to meet the needs of our family on a budget that we’d never be able to live on otherwise).
When you start out a business that is very small, limited by cashflow crunches, and unable to afford the best in marketing or sometimes even product or service tools, you need an edge. Something that people cannot get from big business. Something they want so much they’ll overlook your shortcomings, and appreciate that they got what they really wanted.
Typically, that is personal service. A concept which is so overpromoted as to be useless as a marketing descriptor. But the one, nevertheless, which makes the real difference. You can’t just say it though – because one thing big business CAN do better than you, is SAY it… and they DO.
So you have to find ways to make it clear that you are the real thing. Put aside the trite words, and show it – slow down, be patient, listen, help, and promote using tactics that don’t compete with big business on their terms. Find ways to make your own terms!
It means finding ways to reach people, be real, and develop relationships. Wal-Mart CAN’T do that. They can create a corporate face, but it is still a corporate face. They cannot be one person who knows the client. You can’t even get the same cashier twice in a row, let alone get someone to remember that you like Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat Flour so can they please keep it in stock.
Big business spends billions on researching customers, analyzing their patterns, keeping records to automate the feel of personal attention. But they just can’t do the real thing. All they can do is approximate it with cold efficiency.
You can be your business – you can know your customers by name, and you can be helpful even when you aren’t sure you can help them. Over time, this is hugely powerful.
Big business can’t touch that.
The “Ah-Ha” Factor in Business
She had an idea. She also had competitors. They had money. She did not. The website would be expensive, and then it would only do something close to what the custom programmed solutions that her competition was using could do.
I know from observing small businesses that a shoestring startup CAN compete with a big business, even when the way in which they do it is not as convenient. But it can only happen if the business has the “ah-ha” factor.
This is the thing that makes it desirable – something that the other businesses do not, or cannot do. Something you do that is unique.
In our business, it is the way we work with our clients, and the fact that we understand their needs in a way that larger companies do not.
For some, it is a unique product that cannot be found elsewhere.
For others it is a specialized service that no one else provides.
I didn’t know what it would be for her. I asked her what she could do differently to set herself apart. She thought about it overnight.
The next day she said, almost apologetically, “The only thing I could think of was this…” She then explained that there was an age factor in the equation, and that she wanted to target a different age group. The concept was perfect. The little idea she was not sure had merit was the key she needed to turn a hopeless quest into an achievable goal.
She now had something that the others not only did not do, but COULD not do without breaking their business model. She had something that every person in her target market wanted, but was afraid to SAY they wanted – but which, once they found it, they would share with their friends. She had a powerful “ah-ha” factor that would open the door to success for her.
Sometimes we miss that key point in our business, because it seems so common or ordinary to us. We take for granted the very thing that makes us different and salable. When we learn to identify it and leverage it for the real benefit that it is, our business becomes something unique and unmatchable.
In effect, we have dealt with the competition by crafting our business in such a way that they are no longer the competition. Short term, it is always hard to get started in anything new. But long term, that difference is what will propel us to the top, and which will help our business to grow beyond the power of our own marketing reach.
The Fire of Enthusiasm
I read an article recently that talked about the Open Source movement, and why it managed to create such good software. The author said that MicroSoft could not pay people enough to produce stuff as good as a bunch of guys could produce who really believed in the project – or words to that effect.
There is a good deal of truth to that, and an application where business is concerned. The lesson we get from it is, that pay does not determine our output. We work hardest for what we believe in most. We will stick something out if we love it and want it badly enough, even when it isn’t paying off like we want. But we won’t keep doing something, no matter how much it pays, if we can’t stand to get up in the morning and face it.
Quality of life is a term that is bandied about a lot lately. Most people translate that to mean money, but it doesn’t. Why do you think people give it all up to go homestead in Alaska? That isn’t about money!
When you love something, you can also become a powerful persuader – without even trying to be a salesperson. People tell me over and over that they can see that I am very passionate about what I do – usually they tell me that when I am not even aware that I am waxing enthusiastic about a topic. My interest in what I do compels me to both learn about it, and share it. That is more powerful than any trained salesperson, because it is real, and anyone can see that.
Combine that kind of enthusiasm with an equal degree of enthusiasm for caring about others, and you have an elixir that works better than any other marketing brew. Not that you don’t have to learn how to market well, or do the right things when you market, but just that when you top it off with a dollop of that kind of fire, you become unstoppable.
Look at the people who you know that are great business people, who had to sell their business to others early on. They have energy, enthusiasm, drive, and are perceived as an unstoppable force. It started with them having a dream to do something they felt really needed to be done.
Is your business that, to you? If it is, then keep working and learning, and the fire of your enthusiasm will eventually consume the obstacles in your path. If it is not, then figure out why, and make the adjustments so you can get up every morning with that excitement to get to work on changing your corner of the world.
If you Have to Lie, You are Not a Good Marketer!
There is a perception that internet marketers who defraud people succeed because they are good marketers. They don’t. They persuade people to buy, by lying. Anyone can sell something if they only tell people what they want to hear. That doesn’t make them a good marketer, it only makes them a good liar.
A truly good marketer is one who does not compromise honesty or integrity, and who delivers value that lives up to their promises. They understand people, well enough to help them understand what is good in what they are selling. They do not manipulate. There is a difference.
If we are going to be able to distribute accurate marketing information, that myth that marketing requires dishonesty, must be done away with.
Good marketing centers on truth. If you want to market well, start with the truth, and end with it, and do not depart from it in the middle. Learn to understand people – there is truth there too. But do not focus on manipulating – rather, on communicating in a language they understand.
If this were the standard, marketers would not have the negative reputation that they do.
Choosing Online Networking Venues
There are any number of places that you can network online. New “social networking” sites are springing up each day, and they all have a little different focus.
Networking can benefit you in two ways:
- By bringing you into contact with your prospective customers. This is the benefit most people want, and which they go after aggressively – often burning out in a fit of spamming.
- By bringing you into association with your competitors and collaborators. This helps you develop greater expertise, gives you people to draw knowledge from, and helps you find people to work alongside. It is valuable, but only if you understand how to use it.
Most of the time, those two different groups of people do NOT hang out in the same places! So you have to choose a group or venue for the right reasons, and make sure it can deliver what you are looking for.
In order to network effectively, you have to consider two basic factors:
- Where is your target market hanging out?
- What kinds of networking are you comfortable with, and which ones allow you to market through your strengths?
You CAN learn to be comfortable with new types of marketing. But you’ll do best, especially to start with, if you build on your strengths first.
For example, if you write well, you have a lot of options. If you like to write on a schedule, a blog may work for you. If you don’t, it might not. If you want the freedom to write when you feel like it, article marketing (a cousin to online networking), or forum participation might work best.
If you like to feel plugged in, then networking communities with a lot of minute to minute action might be good – Twitter, blogging communities, etc.
If you want to build a network of friends, and if your target market haunts MySpace or FaceBook, they might work for you – but remember, these are primarily social, secondarily business, so they absolutely do not work for some kinds of businesses.
Ryze, Merchant Circle, or FastPitch might work for you if you like how they work, and if you can regularly check in and participate in forums or browse profiles for connections. They have a distinctly business focus, which works very well for B2B businesses.
One of the keys to choosing networking venues, is to choose things you enjoy doing. If you like it, you’ll do it more regularly. At the same time though, you MUST balance your day! You have to know when to read the posts, and when to skip them, and how to put business first when necessary.
Many venues offer chances for event participation. Choose the events by the same criteria – by whether your target market is likely to be there, and whether you can communicate effectively with them there.
Look for Trade Associations also – many have networking options available. Some of them do a better job of reaching CUSTOMERS, others do a better job of reaching associates. Each has its value, just make sure you are choosing it for the value that you want!
Don’t just join a bunch of groups – each takes time to set up a profile and make it work for you. You need to look them over and make sure they have a good chance of benefiting you, and chose those that will help you do so effectively. If they have a lot of fluff, and take a lot of your time, you’ll burn out. They need to be fairly efficient to use, and allow you good tools for doing what you need to do in a successful manner.
If you join a group, and it does not give you what you need, OR, you end up not using it, drop it. Otherwise it is dead weight. In order to make them work, you have to WORK them. Select carefully, between 2 and 10 venues, and then get to work.
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