Business owners understand that social media marketing is part of running a business these days; however, many are hesitant to start social marketing because they do not understand the platform or have been misinformed by probably well-meaning people rather than seeking advice from a social media marketing consultant. Below are some of bigger social networking platforms and a synopsis about them to help you determine which is going to work best for you and your business.

Facebook – Started as a way for friends to contact each other and has grown to be the world’s largest social network with some 800 million members as at October 2011. Individuals can have personal profiles and connect with friends and family – sharing their lives with the people they are connected to. Businesses can create their own presence in the form of a Business Page where they can post information. This information is seen by individuals and other businesses who have ‘liked’ the page. These posts allow others to interact with the business by commenting, offering feedback and liking individual posts. Facebook works particularly well for brands who offer products or services that allow the business to upload images such as photographers, hospitality, designers.

LinkedIn – This social networking site is firmly targeted at professional individuals and businesses wanting to build their professional networks. Your personal profile includes your previous and current employment history and the company pages allow you to showcase your services as well as offer promotions. Both profiles also allow ‘recommendations’ from other members who have used your services assist with building credibility and a good reputation. Works particularly well for individuals and companies who offer services, rather than products, such as consultants, lawyers and accountants.

Twitter – This is probably the most misunderstood of the social networks as there is a misconception that all people talk about is what they had for breakfast. This is far from the truth – this micro blogging site allows business owners to interact and connect with their customers on a very personal level, offer them direct customer service and share their message to potentially an endless number of Tweeters. It’s a fantastic way to listen to your customers, respond to their concerns and share information. It’s 140 character limit per tweet makes your message refined, concise and direct.

Google+ – The new kid on the block in 2011, Google+ is the fastest growing social network and initially was only open to individuals for their personal profiles. However, businesses can now create brand pages allowing them to promote their company. Whilst many see Google+ as Facebook’s poor cousin, the key thing to remember is that Google+ is a product of Google, the world’s biggest search engine – and G+ is definitely going to become a player in the social marketing field if for no other reason than that association.

Cue Social Media are based in New Plymouth, NZ and is a specialist social media consultancy. They provide a wide range of social networking, brand management & online marketing to sole traders, small business owners and medium enterprises through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, photo sharing and blogging.

Cue Social Media customize their social networking services, specifically to meet the current requirements of your business. They will work with clients to educate, facilitate and incorporate social media into their business marketing mix to ensure their messages reach and engage with potential and existing customers.

Contact us today to discuss which social networking platform will work for you and your business.

It is important for Sales MOMS to keep in contact with and get to know our readers. We pride ourselves on our customer service and quick response time.  This has been very easy for us to keep up with since we consider all of our contacts friends and business colleagues.

Help us get to know you and help you build your business nationwide.  You can follow us on:

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Using all of these social media outlets will enable you to have constant contact with all of your customers and gives you the ability to gain new ones by reaching out to people you may not have otherwise had the pleasure to meet.

Here are a few tips to help make sure you are using social media correctly so that it will benefit your business and not be a waste of time:

Make Friends:  The first thing you need to do is make friends. You can do this by simply getting to know other people who are in the same industry as you. Or, you can find people whom you admire and/or enjoy their work. On Facebook, this is as easy as sending them a “Friend request” and on twitter, the easiest thing to do is to simply follow that person. It’s okay on Twitter, following someone will not get you in trouble with the law! I don’t think!! There are tools available so you can set up your replies automatically to follow or friend someone in return when they decide to follow of friend you. I know, it gets a little confusing, but if you’re going to use this as a means to drive traffic, you’ve got to set up some systems or you’ll spend all day doing nothing.

Value:  If someone is following you or has become your friend, they are already interested. DO NOT go out and place advertisements all over your Facebook page. This is a sure fire way for people to remove you from their list and for the others to just ignore your posts. How would you like to drive into a Jiffy Lube and without even seeing your car, the guy at the desk lists off 40 items that need work and you should buy? Something tells me you’d be confused and a little turned off. Get to know people before you assume they would be a right fit for you or your business. This is a process that takes a little time. You can post links to your blog and/or articles as long as those posts are giving relevant content and provide some value.

Be Personable: Facebook especially is a place for people to get to know you. Someone may have seen an article of yours or have read a blog post about your industry or market, and now they go to Facebook to get a good idea of YOU. So be yourself, as long as yourself isn’t hammered in every photo and all of your posts are profanity laden rants that are just going to scare people. If that is you, maybe being in an industry where your #1 product is you, isn’t the right choice. So, keep to a theme that is helpful mixed in with some current events of your life. Keep people interested, not bored or irritated.

As you spend more time and see other people you admire work this thing called Social Media, you to will gain an understanding of How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business. Get out there and make some friends (Anyone else have flashbacks to 4th Grade.) Provide people with valuable content and you’ll have this Social Media thing working in your favor in no time flat. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Jessica Morgan
Sales MOMS Founder
Helping direct sales consultants build their home business online effectively and easily.

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by Joel Yount

Many people today are searching for all kinds of ways to network and connect with others. A couple of reasons for meeting new people may be just for friendship or a possible business contact. As many people know, a lot of connecting with new people today is being initiated using social media. 

In addition to networking with people online, there is a way to connect with others while helping your community. The first step would be to find a local organization that you would be interested in helping. There are so many charities in communities today that anyone can find using a search engine. There are many organizations that seek help during the year for community outreach events. Normally from my experience, there is always a need for volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for an event, contact the organization and see where they could use your help and talents. When you help and contribute your time for something, you don’t just meet new people. In just a short length of time, new people can become friends and important connections. When you continue to look for ways to benefit your community, you will be able to see your network of connections grow.

How many local organizations can you help volunteer for today, tomorrow, or during this year?

Joel Yount is a Member of Freeway To Success and loves helping people organize and promote their events.

Website: http://www.jgyount.freewaytosuccess.net

You need more than a replicated website from your company to market your business online. If you’re in a party plan, direct sales, network marketing business, chances are you were given a website to sell and sponsor new recruits. With so many business opportunities, you can’t afford not to have an online presence! There’s nothing wrong with promoting your business using a party plan format however your friends will eventually stop hosting parties for you. Here are some easy tips to get you started and get on board with internet marketing:

1. Set up a blog – Did you know that most search engines like Google and Yahoo generally do not pick up a replicated website from a company? That’s because these are assigned to thousands of distributors so they’re not likely to be indexed by search engines. Setting up a blog or website that is yours, is a must in order to be found on search engines. You can easily start a blog at Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, to name a few. Another perk: Blogger is owned by Google so your blog will be indexed when you sign up. Once you’ve set up a blog, start connecting with other bloggers in direct sales, read their blogs, and be sure to leave a comment. A-list bloggers not only blog but they read and comment on other people’s blogs too.

2. Get Social with Social Media – If you’re serious about building a business, then you need to get on board with social media. Your competition is and wherever conversation flows, that’s where you need to be. Internet marketing is no longer an option and it’s a necessity if you’re looking to build big. It takes just a few minutes to sign up for Twitter or Facebook but you will need to learn the right skills to be good at social media. Google Twitter or Facebook and you’ll find a ton of freebies to get you started.

3. Join Groups – There are a lot of groups with thousands of members ready to network with you. I like Twittermoms and Ryze however there are so many to choose from. Yahoo and Google both have groups as well as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Ning. Join groups that interest you and start making new contacts. The more places you join, the more opportunities you’ll have to promote your business, and further be indexed on search engines. When you Google your name, you should be all over the first few pages!

4. Press Release – Press releases used to be for big companies but now anyone can do a press release. If you just started your business, do a press release. If there’s a new product launching, do a press release. It can be used for a lot of things so get busy writing and use this funnel to promote your business. Book I recommend is New Rules of Marketing and PR.

5. Network with people in your business – You’ve heard the saying, it’s not what you know but whom you know. If you’re on Twitter, you want to follow and be followed by people in your niche market. Use search.twitter to follow people that are potentially interested in your product or business opportunity. That’s not to say you should only follow people in your business. It’s more important to join the conversation and make a positive contribution.

Finally, with every marketing effort you implement, commit to a plan and work it diligently. Use these tips consistently and constantly to market your business.

If you’re stuck in your business and looking for additional tips on how to use internet and social media to market your business, visit my website http://www.janetteskincare.blogspot.com.

Without a doubt, the best way you can invite people to listen to your business is to have direct selling party plans. The main reason for this is because these people love to listen to a business idea and still get to mingle with other people. Through the help of a direct selling party, they can get to listen about a new business that they would want to join. This is why consultants usually take advantage of this opportunity to talk about the business that they are offering.

If you are looking for ways you can get more people to join your business, you should invite them to a party that you are hosting. When you do this, they will be shy to decline the invite. After all, they are getting free snacks along with the invite. If they have nothing more important to do, they will show up during one of your direct selling parties.

4 Great Ways to Get Interested Folks to Join Your Business

• Use the internet – Nowadays, almost everyone is on Facebook. Since it is a great way to reconnect with long lost friends, this website is being used by almost everyone on the planet. Through this website, many also post business opportunity announcements, marketing tactics and even event posters. You can use this to your advantage because you will be able to get more people to see your event.

• Offer delicious snacks – During your event, make sure that you offer delicious snacks to your guests. This is because if you have delicious food, they won’t feel the need to get out of the vicinity. In fact, there are some of them who will be back for seconds. This is a great way you can get them to listen to you attentively.

• Be funny and conversational – Since the point of the party is to get them to listen about your business proposal, you have to make sure that your speech is conversational and funny. You don’t necessarily have to train for a stand up comedienne. You just need to know how to hit the right marks in terms of keeping guests entertained. When you are able to do this correctly, your guests will want to stay until the end of your speech because they are so engrossed in what you are saying.

• Be direct and straight to the point – It is only common that people hate being lied to. When you are inviting them to your party, make sure that you tell them that you have a business proposal they might be interested in. Never keep quiet about your purpose of inviting them to the event. If you do this, they will only be disappointed and have a negative notion from the start of the event. Even if you are selling them something that’s highly marketable, they will not agree with it because they have been lied to.

Make sure that you follow the tips mentioned above. When you do, you can see a huge amount of people who will want to be part of your direct selling business in no time.

You must learn more about Online Marketing and the top ways to develop your Personal Marketing Strategy in order to explode your Direct Selling Business.

Joshua See is a successful Entrepreneur, Top Internet Marketer and Global Team Mentor who trains others to achieve Financial Freedom and Independence by creating wealth and prosperity online. For more information on the Top Internet Marketing Tactics for building a successful business, please visit http://www.Biz3827.com and request your free "Special Report"!

Last week, I was driving home from a lunch meeting and was thinking of who I needed to re-connect with. David Greenberg (a personal friend and one of the best speaker coaches I know) came to mind.  And I did something crazy. I didn’t search for him on Facebook. Nor did I Tweet him a personal message.  I didn’t even send him an e-mail. I actually called him on the phone, and believe it or not, he answered! We connected, shared some cool business ideas, and I hung up feeling great. 

Yes, I know I’m being a bit facetious here.  But I have to say that if there is one thing that drives this wingman  ‘wingnuts’ is when people abuse this whole social networking thing. In many ways, it’s gone from "Here’s what I’m doing" to "Here’s what I’m selling." From "Let me connect you to" to "Let me sell you."

Well, I’ve got news for you, ye social networking gurus. If I don’t know you, I probably won’t buy from you.   The reason I said ‘probably’ is because there are times when we will buy something from someone even if we don’t know them.  If it has value and can help our business/life, then hey, it’s worth a look.  And there’s nothing wrong with occasionally sharing our great product, seminar, or book with our contacts.  Social networking sites are a tremendous way to expose our market to our value.  But please, let’s not put our sales links and impersonal offers in EVERY POST we make on Twitter or Facebook!

We need to be careful not to abuse the social networking sites and our connections.  They are primarily for networking and making contacts, not direct sales.

I believe our phone book should still remain our primary method for building and maintaining our relationships.  One phone call equals 50 tweets and Facebook messages.  Phone calls are great at building trust, and trust what a wingman is all about.

So, here are some wingtips to augment your social networking efforts:

1. Make it a priority to call a few of your special contacts every day.  Do this first thing in the morning if able. These include your top clients, vendors, and yes, your friends.

2. Use your phone judiciously.  Before you head to the airport or Starbucks, make a list of a few wingmen to call while in your car or at the gate.

3. Give something of value to your contact on the phone (i.e. a referral.). Before you hang up, ask them this special question: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

4. ** If you really want to connect with a new e-contact, research their website and call them. I guarantee they will be impressed…and shocked.

In this high speed age of Twitter and text messaging where words on a screen are the norm, we need to hear each other’s voices.  Voices incur emotion and emotion is what connects people. And when connections are made, trust is built and relationships develop. How people make you feel is what initially builds relationships, not the product they sell.

So, if you want to be a Wingman – a trusted partner – to your network, don’t forget to reference your Phonebook in addition to Facebook when flight planning your next mission.

NEVER FLY SOLO!
Your Wingman,
Lt Col Rob "Waldo" Waldman