What Is Social Media? Why Should You Care?

Understanding & Participating in the Social Media Conversation

1980’s Fewer Ads reached MORE people with

UNDIVIDED attention

2009MORE ads reach FEWER people paying LESS

attention

Product proliferation and availability means more choice for the buyer…Old: Grocery store, Hardware store, Post

OfficeNew: Wal-Mart, ebay, Craigslist

13,500 Radio Stations (4,400 in 1960) 17,300 Magazine Titles (8,400 in 1960) 82.4 TV Channels per avg. home 100 million blogs 1.3 million blog posts per day (18 per

second) 100,000 NEW blogs per day (2 per

second) Blogosphere doubles everyday More podcasts than global radio shows Feedburner delivering 44,000 podcast feeds 100 million MySpace & Facebook profiles 30 million LinkedIn users 1Billion Tweets

Video games Email Xbox LIVE Websites IM Search Radio DVD Ring Tones TV Blogs Magazines Satellite Radio TiVo Video On-Demand Newspapers Podcasting Cell Phone

Consumers are not listening anymoreThe Audience is creatingThe Audience is selectingThe Audience is changing

What does the word conversation really

mean?

What are the basics of conversation?

Why aren’t we good at having

conversations?How can we improve

everyday conversation?

NowLater

iPhone Personal Publishing Instant Messaging Oprah & Dr. Phil

Avoid the conversation, and suffer the consequences

Handle the conversation poorly and suffer the consequences

Discover how to communicate best when it matters most

We benefit from more accurate and relevant information

Make better choices, and are more willing to act on whatever decision they all make

Speak clearly Speak easily, but not too much, give

others their turn Do not interrupt Be courteous Deal seriously with serious matters,

gracefully with light ones Never criticize people behind their backs Stick to subjects of general interests Do not talk about yourself Never lose your temper

Conversation are stunted when intellectual capital is rewarded

Conversation flourishes in atmosphere of FREE and OPEN exchange

The key to successful conversation is being open and honest in expressing opinions, feelings, and theories, and having a willingness to share views even when the ideas in question are controversial or unpopular.

Get to know who you are talking to Listening is more important than talking Find something important to say, don’t

just jabber

1. Who Are You?The first question people ask themselves the minute they realize you want to influence them is “who is this person”. A story helps them see what you want them to see about you. If you demonstrate who you are, rather than tell me who you are, it is much more believable. A story lets you demonstrate who you are.

2. What does this person want from me?Before you let someone know what’s in it for them, they want to know what’s in it for you. It’s a big mistake to try to hide selfish goals. This type of story usually reveals enough for people to make a distinction between healthy ambition and dishonest exploitation. If your goals are selfish, people don’t mind as long as you are up-front about it, there is something in it for them, and you frame your goals in a way that makes sense to them.

3. OK, so What’s in it for Me?If your listeners are comfortable with who you are and why you are here, then they are ready to listen to what you think is in it for them. You have to take the time to find a story of your vision that that connects with people clearly.

4. Ok, so What Do You Stand For?Without a doubt the best way tell people your values in by demonstration. The second best way is by telling a story. Story lets you instill values in a want that keeps people thinking for themselves.

5. How Did You Know What I Was Thinking?When you tell a story that makes people wonder if you are reading their minds, they love it. It isn’t hard to do. If you have done your homework on the group you wish to influence it’s easy to identify their objections.

6. How Did You Know What I Was Thinking?When you tell a story that makes people wonder if you are reading their minds, they love it. It isn’t hard to do. If you have done your homework on the group you wish to influence it’s easy to identify their objections.

1. Map Your Market Before you start chatting up your potential

customers, do a little homework first by mapping your marketplace

Delve into your market and see who the most influential people are. Find out who everyone’s talking about and talking POSITIVELY about (big difference) and who they respect most.

We’re searching for “Mavens” in the marketplace..people who are sway opinions…people who have a defintive impace on those you’re planning to market to. Make a list of these people. Dig deep and examine why they’re regarded as authorities.

Having this type of intelligence will help you establish yourself as the same type of leader later on.

In order to communicate effectively with our prospects, we need to know what they are already saying. And that means tapping into the conversations they are already having.

The best way to do this is to monitor your marketplace. Bookmark those blogs and forums where your market gathers. Subscribe to RSS feeds to take a daily pulse.

Stay tuned to what’s going on…how they react…what their hot buttons (cold buttons) are.

Watch competitors you don’t like or trust, too.

Now that you have a firm grasp on where your market’s hearts and minds are, it’s time to make your entrance. But whatever you do, do NOT just barge into a forum or blog discussion and announce, “I’m here!”

There’s a certain rhythm, a certain pacing that each market follows. And if you don’t slide into that rhythm just perfectly, you’ll fall flat on your face.

Make a few posts here and there. Ask questions. Play nice. Make yourself known but don’t blow your own trumpet.

Build Your Market Start making a name for yourself by becoming

more educated on the subject matter than anyone else in the group. Study the trends relentlessly. Do in-depth research on the topics of discussion

Lead Your Market Start your own conversations-and your own

community-blog/forum Sell Your Market

Golden Rule: ask they what they want first See what they lack, need, want and create

products that fulfil those needs. Let the content your providing determine the form

of the product you’re developing

Choose a Market of Interest to You Put together a list of places they hang out

Blogs/Forums “Expert Sites” Broadcasting Sites Networking Sites Product Review Sites Social Bookmarketing Sites

Listen this week to the conversation in the community. Note who the “experts” are.

9/22 Twitter 9/29 Facebook 10/13 YouTube 10/20 Blogging 10/27 Social Bookmarking 11/3 Direct Response/Copywriting 11/17 Linkedin 11/24 Influence 12/1 Tying it all Together 12/8 BONUS-Landing/Squeeze Page

Easier to Network Online Fall off bike, get back on

Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble The Story Factor by Annette Simmons The Cluetrain Manifesto by Rick Levine The Social Media Bible by Lon Safko Social Media Marketing by Dave Evans Secrets of Social Media Marketing by Paul Gillin The New Influencers by Paul Gillian The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David M.

Scott The New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg Content Nation by John Blossom Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz Tribes by Seth Godin