One of the benefits of operating a small business in a rural community is the increased opportunity to personally connect with your customers. When you are seeing the same people week after week, or when you are the only business in town offering a certain service or product, it is easy to take customer loyalty for granted. Bear in mind, however, that the dissatisfied customer is extremely likely to jump ship as soon as a new option is available. For this reason, it is important not to take your current customers for granted, no matter how limited a rural location may make their options. A great way to increase customer loyalty is through social media marketing tips designed to increase customer satisfaction and appreciation. [Read more...]
16
Apr 2009
How Much Time Should You Spend on Social Media Each Week
I am often asked how many hours I spend on my social media sites every day. On average, I spend about 3 hours a day creating educational content for my clients and building stronger relationships with current and potential clients.
Something happens when you get involved with social media. You change. You realize that the more you give – the better you feel – and the more you get back. I am motivated to be even more active!
By the end of the week, I have created some terrific marketing materials that are customer focused. I have also created a bunch of ineffective materials that will not work, but here’s the thing – my social community helps me determine what is good or bad based on the comments I receive, the number of times an article is retweeted, or the emails that I receive with questions on the articles or tweets.
So – 15 hours per week [Read more...]
19
Mar 2009
Do You Make These Mistakes
This is our final day of exploring LinkedIn in this 30 day series on social media and marketing. I see several mistakes people make when they start using LinkedIn or any social networking platform. I want to address those now so you can avoid being just another statistic.
Mistake #1: Never Completing the Profile
By know you probably know that you need to get three recommendations to complete your profile. What is stopping you? There is no harm in asking for a recommendation. So let me tell you a little secret on how to get recommendations…..”Give and you shall receive.” Remember, networking is largely a give/get process. Be proactive and give recommendations to some of your contacts before they ask. A simple one or two paragraph recommendation is all that is needed. Give it a try. It feels good to praise others, and it will come back to you to fill you with more joy than you can imagine. REMEMBER: When someone gives you a recommendation, return the favor! [Read more...]
18
Mar 2009
What Everybody Ought to Know About Connections On LinkedIn
When I go about my week, I have about 50 people that I interact with frequently. From staff, clients, friends, and family – I am comfortable with that number. Online, (today anyway) I have 178 connections on LinkedIn, 140 friends on Facebook, and 320 followers on Twitter. Not huge numbers compared to some people. I have seen users on LinkedIn with 500+ connections, Facebook friends with 500+ friends, and Tweeters with over 100,000 followers.
I have 178 1st level connections. But I am connected to over 2.8 million people! How can that be? First level connections are those people to whom I am directly connected. These people can see my entire profile, but also have their own connections whom I may not know. These people would be considered second level connections. These second level connections may also be connected a third level of people I don’t know. The 2.8 million people includes not only my first level, but second and third level connections as well. People that are not first, second or third level contacts are ”outside of my network.”
So, is it about Size or Quality?
Anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, [Read more...]
17
Mar 2009
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful, yet mis-understood tools for building a professional network. Over the next few days, I am going to change that mis-understanding. A few small adjustments in your profile and how you use LinkedIn can make this your most powerful professional network.
What is LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an online network of more than 30 million experienced professionals from around the world. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you. Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to thousands of qualified professionals.
Today, lets take a look at creating your profile. [Read more...]
19
Feb 2009
LinkedIn Participants from Ridgewater College
Thanks for attending my presentation on LinkedIn. I hope you found it useful in building relationships with potential employers or clients. If you have any questions on LinkedIn, please post them here! Also, this blog will be going live in a couple of days. I would love to get your feedback on future topics you would like me to cover.
Again, thank you for making the presenation so enjoyable last night!
I am President and Chief Evangelist for Vivid Image - a web design and social marketing firm located outside of Minneapolis, MN. 
