How do you build trust online?

1)      Look for opportunities to help others get what they want. ”If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want” is a powerful quote from Zig Zigler. Give tips, advice, resources, articles and answers to questions about your area of expertise.

2)      Connect people together. Make introductions so these people can refer business to each other, do business together or become friends.  With practice you can become an amazing connector who helps many people get loads of referrals.

3)      Acknowledge people that have helped you.

Your mission for this month is to:

1)      Look for things that you can give to others…blog posts, webinars, websites and share these online.

2)      Ask your online friends and connections who they would like to be connected to, then listen. Connect them to the people and things that they need if you can.

3)      Make a list of five people who have made a difference in your life and publicly acknowledge them online. Give them a recommendation on Linkedin, post a compliment on their Facebook wall and send them an email with a testimonial that they can use.

Become a back scratcher and you will eventually get all the back scratching you need!

Please comment and pass on the scratch!

I’m not a social media expert. I am a small business owner and entrepreneur who truly embraces the unique opportunity that social media offers. Nothing else gives me such a direct way to “talk” with my clients and community on a daily basis. People are what brought me into business in the first place.

Over the last few years, I’ve made it a point to explore and understand the social web around me. There’s a lot left to learn! I’ll share a few key lessons I’ve discovered so far.

1. Let Customers Show You Their Way

Social media is all about your audience, customers, or whomever you’re trying to reach. Basic marketing says to think like your customer thinks. The same holds true in social media. In my business, my clients aren’t necessarily flocking to Foursquare, but they are using LinkedIn and some other niche sites in addition to Twitter and Facebook.

If you aren’t sure where your customers are on the social web, just ask. I found myself asking clients if they were using any social networks. This simple question led to an interesting conversation and great insight on how I could take part and provide value. You don’t always have to be the expert. Let your customers show you their way!

2. Social Media Is Not Free

Social media is attractive to small businesses because of its perceived price. You can set up a new blog, Facebook business page, video site and Twitter account without paying a cent. There’s no expensive software or costly media buys. Even though there’s a low price tag to enter the game, social media is far from free. It requires time, energy and effort. It’s a never-ending commitment to create interesting content, listen to conversations and respond.

Instead of joining every social media community out there, I prefer the slow and steady approach. Pick one or two platforms that are important in your market. Determine your key goals and define who will be responsible for keeping activity going day in and day out. Remember that your time is valuable. This new marketing is far from free.

3. Service vs Self-Promotion

Many first experiments in social media are not very successful. Businesses spend their time posting and tweeting about their company, news and services. The process becomes incredibly frustrating since they see little results for their efforts.

It wasn’t until I began working with some very savvy people that I realized two things:

i)                   I needed to show the person behind the company and

ii)                 I needed to focus on my customers and not my company

I began searching for people looking for help and offering advice and information. That was my “ah-ha” moment. Social media began clicking for me.

4. Learn From Others

There are some companies and brands doing great things with social media, so there’s no reason for you to reinvent the wheel. Put on your consumer hat and take note of the various social media campaigns, or even general interactions, that appeal to you. I got in the habit of bookmarking and noting particular blog posts or company responses on Facebook.

Just because something worked for one company doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your community. Learn from the work of others and tailor their experiences to your own particular needs, goals, and customers.

5. Maintain Your Identity

As a business owner, you simply can’t take care of everything. And you simply can’t be an expert in everything. You hire employees to specialize in or take care of certain areas of your business and you outsource (contract outside help) for other jobs. There’s tremendous value in hiring a social media consultant or agency to help you. However, you shouldn’t hand over the reins entirely.

Some business owners like to be in control of establishing the relationship with their community and creating their networks. They want to play a large role in defining the message and content for all their communications. Some want to engage with every tweet and blog comment directly.

Small business owners will be well-served by working closely with their social media manager to learn about the various social platforms, communities and protocol. By spending just a little bit of time each day with your social media manager or consultant, you can learn how to use the platforms and interact with your communities. You’ll become more comfortable and proficient using these tools yourself. This will result in more authentic interactions. The key is to get in there and try it!

There are 70+ billion online searches every month. That’s ten times the world’s population! Some of these people are interested in what you have to offer but most of them can’t find you.

Of all people on earth, 46% access a social network daily says blog.hudsonhorizons.com. Most traffic is to one of the big four – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube. Connecting through these platforms must be fulfilling a human need! Which ones are you active on to connect with prospects and clients?

For recruitment purposes, 80% of all companies use social media. It must be working to find and be found! LinkedIn can be your online resume. What does your social profile say about you or your company?

Facebook forecasts they will reach 1 billion users in 2012. That’s one in every seven people on earth! Human connection is important.

Three of every four minutes spent on social networking sites is on Facebook. You need to be there, whether you are B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer).

Interactivity and responsiveness is still an “opportunity” as 95% of wall posts get no response from brand page owners, reveals allfacebook.com. Interact with your prospects who are talking to you, about you, your brand or your company.

People need a reason to act. Of all people that like brands on Facebook, 57% do it because the brand offers them free discounts or coupons, according to Mashable. What can you offer?

Every day, Twitter states that 95 million tweets are exchanged. The information must be of value to those involved. This rapidly increases when a breaking news story hits. You can get your message out there fast and search for prospects. Twellowhood facilitates local search for community businesses.

When publishing on social sites, 73% of all people believe that employees overshare, says blog.hudsonhorizons.com. Policies and guidelines are important. Keep your updates positive, uplifting and professional.

A US Department of Education study showed that students who learn online do better than students who learn via face-to-face interaction. This is our future! Do you and your company have an online presence? For marketing? For training?

TV sales are down for the first time in history reports research firm IHS. ReelSEO suggests it’s because many younger people don’t NEED a television. Makes you think doesn’t it! How can you use this information to your advantage?

Half of the world’s population is under age 30 and the people most active on social networks tend to be older than 30. Compare this to an hour glass full of sand (potential) at the top and imagine how quickly that potential will flow into opportunity at the bottom – and how big it will be!

Do you still believe that Social Media is just a fad or is it a new tool in your toolbox that you didn’t know was there? Perhaps you didn’t see the value in it for business or how to use it? How can you harness it to your advantage and get in the flow of opportunity?

Please comment. Visit www.SocialMediaCOO.com.

Now you can fish for new clients by throwing out bait and attracting them to you! Jeffrey Gitomer, in his book, Social Boom, says that “Social Media is the New Cold Call. Business Social Media is the best, least expensive, most direct way of communicating with your customers to be discovered in the last 100 years.”

In order to fish, you need bait. What is of value to your prospects? Tell them about your ideas and tips. Provide value. Be authentic. Be the bait in the fish bowl!

On the flip side, social networking is like a fish bowl. Prospects are open and in plain view of anyone and everyone to see. Transparency and openness is at the core of what drives social communication. You know that if your prospects are in the game, they’re playing the game in full view of the world. They are motivated to connect and be on their best behavior. This is similar to meeting someone at a public event. They will be polite, courteous and respectful because they know that everyone is watching. Later, at the office, they can ignore your phone call, not respond to your email or cancel your meeting because nobody is watching.

Social networking enables you to connect with the best side of your prospect when they are willing to interact. Are you in the conversation? Are you being seen? Are you the bait? Fish bowl marketing can be fun and profitable!

Want help or more information? Visit www.SocialMediaCOO.com.