There are a vast array of social media tools available to help you market your blog and build your brand. But there are just so many and with new ones being developed every day, how do you keep up with them all?
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, StumbleUpon, Digg, Technorati, Empire Avenue, About.me… and the list goes on, and on, and on…”
A colleague of mine once said, “you don’t need ALL the tools, just the right one’s for the job!” A point Chris Brogan emphasizes all too well: Do What Works for You.
How do you manage your time with all of this (new) tech and still have time to focus no what’s important (you know, like those revenue producing activities)?
It starts by defining what you want to accomplish. Then, and only then, can you set out to determine what tool is right for the job. You don’t need all of them, just the ones that are right for you (after all, there’s only so much time in the day)…
Want to connect with members of your community? Facebook & Twitter are pretty good at that.
Care to connect with other industry professionals? LinkedIn is your ticket… It’s also a great tool with respect to building Social Proof (Tip: don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials!
Care to meet other local social media types? (For business or otherwise?) Twitter’s your ticket. Use search.twitter.com and twitterlocal.net to connect with local tweeps. And have you even noticed that Facebook Events is a great place to look for upcoming meetups as well?!
Want to be an authoritative speaker on a subject? Three words: Local Niche Blogging…
When you visit each of these networks it’s an opportunity for you to meet and engage with other individuals with whom you share a common interest. These networks serve as a gateway to your blog. If you stay relevant, and engage with individuals in a genuine way, you’ll drive traffic back to your blog (which is where you want them to be). Your blog is after all where you make your sale(s).
Too often we get too excited over what’s shiny and new. Barefoot Executive Carrie Wilkerson calls this “The Law of Distraction.” Where we get over-zealous about new bleeding edge technology and we jump from one thing to the next before the rest of the web has time to adopt something new.
At the end of the day you have to try new things sure, but learn what works for you.
Some of My Favorite Networks (in order):
1. LinkedIn: I love linked in for it’s simplicity and professional design. If you utilize it properly, I think it’s a great promotional tool. What I like best is that it’s virtually spam free; invitations are filtered properly enough.
2. Twitter Follow me @Ribeezie: I like twitter for it’s ability to connect you with several people and you can find what everyone is talking about right now. I don’t like that a lot of the time what you hear is noise. Then again, that’s why I’m selective about how I spend my time here. It’s great to make new connections and to arouse your creativity by reaching out to your followers.
3. Facebook: I like Facebook for it’s ability to connect you with members of your social network, your community. You can connect with these individuals in a very casual environment. And if you keep an eye on Facebook Events, you might find opportunities to connect with people off-line at a local meetup which is always a great opportunity! It’s social and laid back… Sometimes, that’s what social marketing should be. However, what I don’tlike about Facebook are all of the constant notices & invites! The e-mail threads have gotten bothersome & so have the blank invites. (I think this is why I’ve preferred LinkedIn). Anyway, I do use FB. Just not all the time.
4. Flickr: after an event what’s the first thing you do when you get home? You organize the business cards you collected and you follow up with people. Right? Well, why not snap photos of people at an event, upload them onto Flickr, and then send them a slideshow of the photos via email. Believe me, it’s much better than an email that says: “Great to meet you! Let’s keep in touch!” They’ll have actual photos instead and something to refer to for future reference! (They’ll remember you).
Sure I belong to (and have a profile on) other networks. But these are my “go to” networks. LinkedIn is a great place to build Social Proof! Twitter keeps me connected with what’s going on “Right Now!” and it keeps me in touch with my network. So does Facebook, but in a more relaxed fashion. And as for Flickr, well, it’s better than a follow up email after an event! Why not send some photos to remember instead right?!
At the end of the day, my blog is my hub.
So what do you think? Have you defined your blog’s purpose? Do you know what you want/need to accomplish? What’s your favorite social media tool for the job? Why? Do you filter who you connect with and how you connect?
Thanks for helping us to keep our eyes on the prize. It’s been a while since I read your postings. This one is right on target and I’m back on track to follow again.
Love it! Well done and comprehensive Ricardo! Another list of tools done by biz owners themselves was in response to a facebook post of mine (I asked and ‘they’ answered!) ==> http://tinyurl.com/424abvx
@mj adams It’s easy to lose focus and get distracted on what’s shiny and new. Next thing you know, we’re wasting more time than being productive. So today’s post was kind of a reflection on that: “are you working hard or hardly working?”
Thanks for dropping by!
@barefoot_exec Hey Carrie, great list! Now that I think about it, I can certainly narrow down the list of tools I can’t live without… My Taylor Timer is one of them — I set it in 12 – 15 minute intervals where I just sit there and write or work on whatever task is at hand. Then I”ll pause and reflect for 2 minutes before getting back to work. It’s helped me become so much more productive!
For me, it’s
1. My blog
2. Twitter
3. Facebook business page
4. LinkedIn
🙂
I am a firm believer in understanding exactly what tools will actually work for you and then utilizing the hell out of them!
@KirstenWright heh, I like how you phrased it: “understanding what tools actually work for you then utilizing the hell out of them!” I agree, understanding your goals and the tech that will help you get there is key!
Hi Ricardo,
Excellent post. My blog’s purpose is twofolds, one it helps me get my ideas straighten out by writing them. Two it’s a marketing platform which gives my clients an idea of who I am and what I do.
Following my blog, Twitter is my favorite social media tool.
I love meeting new people online and I don’t really filter past the obvious Spam and trolls 🙂
@johnfalchetto Hey John, I think you and I are on the same page. When I first started, I was writing for myself. It was a way for me to get clarity on my thoughts. Sharing thoughts with others sparked discussions and that helped me gain further clarity.
So as much as I write for my readers today, writing still helps me gain clarity too. And yes, it helps me show others my work (in this case, my speaking, etc.).
Thanks for the comment John, always good to see you here!
The Law of Distraction – the shiny object…..I can personally attest to that one. I love simplification……You don’t need all the tools, just the right ones for the job. So simple but profound. I agree….my blog is my hub….everything revolves around that……a well defined and written blog can accomplish some many of the goals us real estate people have. @markmadsen taught me that. I find it quite shocking that more agents don’t blog……and the excuse that they don’t like to write, or they aren’t good at writing is really getting lame and old. Awesome blog.
@Brad Yzermans@markmadsen
And yes, even I fall victim to the Shiny Object Syndrome every now and then. So in a way, this post was a reminder to myself (and others) on how you don’t always need everything to make things work. You just need the right tools that allow you to express yourself in your own unique way. Master those and you’re good to go!
Thanks for the comment Brad. Next time you see Mark, tell him I said hello 🙂