In re: @brandbuilder and @digitalvision on MLM and Social Media Certification

Having retired due to failing health, I find little that motivates me to post but when I see bright and clever fellows engaged in folly, and suddenly faced with the realization that life is indeed too short to engage in folly, I felt compelled to enter the fray, one more time.

I never found an MLM I thought would work for me. I “get” social media and a good MLM should do well if they embrace social media. I think that ShoptoEarn – ShoptoEarth is a good idea i.e. help promote environmental awareness and all. But a good idea is not enough and once you marry a good idea to an MLM you increase your own obstacles. Let’s face it, MLM has a bad rep. But it’s not for me to denigrate MLMs . They actually do work for some people and the founders get to make lots of money. (Just like Bill and Steve and Mike do with the companies they founded).
And a Social Media Specialists Certification was surely inevitable. I don’t know for sure, but I think it must have a curriculum and that curriculum probably contains content some people don’t know. And if it is taught by someone who has done some good stuff with social media and really understands it, then the chances are good that there will be some positive takeaways. A freshly graduated MCSE who never ran a network is commonly called “a paper MCSE” and is most likely not qualified to run a corporate network, but they have to start somewhere. Some start by running networks, learning as they go and then getting certified. Others get certified first and then learn as they go. For the most part it’s all good. It’s business, in one form or another. Caveat Emptor applies.
I must confess that I might not be unhappy if I were clever enough to have founded an MLM and made large amounts of money for myself, nor would I be unhappy if I created a certification that many people wanted and I was able to profit handsomely from.
I am not smart enough to criticize others’ methods. I have found that my time is better spent just doing what I do, as well as I can.
Well, I have to go; life is too short and Doc says that mine has suddenly become much shorter.

Update: This "story" has evolved evolved quite a bit. @thebrandbuilder has posted a thorough recap on his blog ( click here to go there ) detailing even more events and he has come out solidly and professionally against one "company's" attempt to create a cert. His reasoning is very solid and seems valid to me. My only lament is that he felt compelled to spend so much brain power on the whole thing. But it is his brain power and he is certainly entitled to spend it as he wishes.

Viral Video and the Dollars and Cents of Social Media Engagement for the Average Businessman

1,747,417 views on this wedding video in 5 DAYS? can you say viral? http://bit.ly/29W0C0 (Since yesterday 3 million more have watched it – now at 4, 639,607

There is something to be learned from this. To begin with, it is marketing nirvana. What a damn shame they were not selling anything, lol.

If you could create a video that got nearly 2 million views in five days for (insert your business/idea here), it would be a wonderful thing.
Most really viral videos are created unintentionally, but it is possible to engineer one.

This couple’s concept for their wedding was pretty different, and they either have really weird friends, or it took a lot of convincing to get the whole wedding party to participate. Just getting those people to agree to their wishes probably took considerable negotiation skills (I’d like to know what the couple does for a living!)

But the point is, this is achievable if one has a little vision and is willing to be daring. In marketing (insert your business/idea here) creating a viral video is sort of a shortcut to success. The typically path is far slower. More like what is happening with my clients . I am optimizing that site for the keyword phrase xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx. It is already in the top ten on google if you add a geo tag (florida, pt st lucie, palm beach, broward, etc.) and it has gone from not even ranked for the primary phrase to position 37 in less than 60 days. And I am using twitter and some of other social media sites to spread the link and gain some link juice.
Yesterday the owner got his first online inquiry (a dentist office filled out the request quote form) . Hopefully it will enthuse him enough to get him to start participating in his own online marketing. Since I started the project 60 days ago, I have not been able to get his “buy-in” for his own internet and social media efforts. He has promised me pictures and videos over and over and still has not delivered the first picture of one of his company trucks. I encounter the same lack of “buy-in” with the majority of people I work with. People seem to view the internet as a necessary but unfriendly endeavor. It is not unfriendly. In fact the opposite is true, but people are reluctant to make the plunge and discover the wealth of people and resources that can be helpful in creating wealth for the bank account.

That’s why I keep prompting people to “take the time, dive in and find the pulse”. Get online and find some people who are already solidly plugged in to the net with a lot of connections who share some of your interests and passions. Several of the social media stars that I follow have had their first child, (or twins!) or added to their family in the last two years and they seem to have a pretty constant side stream of convo about lollipops and teething or whatever. Several others are big on running or serious biking and that sidestream is always going on, etc. etc. From such random and unrelated things, it seems, alliances are forged and sometimes great IRL (in real life) friends are made.

If you knew that using twitter would increase your net worth $100k would you jump in and be active? Or if you knew that you were going to meet a super programmer on LinkedIn whose abilities would reduce your production costs by 50% or halve your time to market equation, would your “buy-in” increase? No matter what venture(s) you are in, the potential to leverage your personal social media engagement into increased business or reduced costs is huge. Frankly, it simply does not make business sense to not engage.

Social Media - It's not about the product or cause, It's about the engagement.

Social Media Engagement to create buzz.
Ok, so you have a product or cause that you think will help cure the worlds ills and you want to promote it with Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Blogs, Vlogs and video channels like you tube.
To do so, you must engage. Engagement begins with sharing insightful thoughts and thoughtful responses with people of similar interests. For someone new to social media the best way to do this is to recruit a core group of individuals who are all committed to sharing your message.
Create an internet presence for your product or cause. This can be as simple as a facebook page, a blog, or a complete website. Provide your information in a clear, clean concise manner. Make sure that any place that you have an online profile (linkedin, professional associations, social presences, etc. are all properly up to date.
As an example let’s say you have a product called widgetX. Lets say that you also have two young children and that you consider your family’s lifestyle to be health conscious.
Begin in social media by talking about the funny things your kids say and do, and talk about how your particular health choices seem to be working for your family. You must engage on a near daily basis with you core group of recruits for several weeks. People who are not yet engaged with you but who are watching are watching to see if you are interesting, and to see if you are “just a flash in the pan” or you are someone that is going to continue to be around if they engage with you. Post about unusual things you encounter. Post pix and videos as often as you can! If you encounter someone else’s post that interest you, comment on it, share it, and engage with them in a thoughtful manner.
Take extra care to respond to anyone that engages with directly or mentions you or something you posted. (you can use monitoring tools that will tell you whenever your name or brand is mentioned).
Ask others what they do for a living, or what they think are the important concerns of the day.
As you engage, people will often go to you profile and see what’s there. If it’s something that interest them, they’ll be sure to let you know.
As you proceed do some searches to find even more people who seem to be interested in your product or cause. Message them and let them know you are interested also.
As these conversations evolve, if you are a true provider of insightful thoughts and thoughtful responses people who need widgetX will find you.

Marketing Nirvana - Connecting the dots Part II

Using Social Media to add value. Few engagements begin and end with a single contact resulting in a single sale. Consumers want to know the company they purchase from. They are interested in quality, customer service, corporate consciousness (are you green enough?) and a myriad of other information to increase their comfort level in doing business with you. The internet and social media allow you to engage with your consumers directly and address any concerns they have and supply them with the information they desire to attain that comfort level. More importantly, social media enables consumers to engage with each other in their efforts to choose companies that give them the products or services they want at the comfort level they desire.

Peter Botting, a UK based Corporate and Political Strategist, Speechwriter and Pitch Coach. www.peterbotting.com and a tri-lingual master of delivering the message recently made some valuable observations about the ever continuing need to “woo” clients and prospects. See the article on the Xing.com network at https://www.xing.com/app/forum?op=showarticles;id=16199500;articleid=16240018

Social media empowers businesses to “woo” and engage clients i.e. create and maintain relationships
In their own spaces, where they are surrounded by “trusted” friends and acquaintances.
Where they can engage at a time and in a manner they have chosen – social media is “working” 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

The value you add can include
Trusted Advice
Manufactures of energy using devises can explain energy ratings and put them into context
A lawyer could blog about proposed legislation and how it would likely impact consumers and use blog commenting to allow dialogue
Retailers can engage in comparisons, product usage suggestions, online manuals and forums for putting things together and a host of other concerns consumers have.
Collateral Deals – this is a hugely underserved market. Many products and even some services can be enhanced with third party offerings. Businesses who understand the afterrmarket modifications and enhancements and can steer their customers toward the solutions they are looking for can gain big “props” from their consumers. Even if you don’t sell an appropriate collateral product you can gain big props by directing your consumer to someone who does.
Consumer Feedback –
Dell Computers uses their IdeaStorm website to let consumers post issues, wishlist, and other concerns and then provides follow up and resolution. A customer in pre purchase mode who observes this has a good feeling for the “customer service” he or she can expect after the purchase.
Much of this falls under the heading of customer service but it crosses over into Public Relations/marketing/branding and even sales.
Listening – Brands that “listen” for the buzz about their products are perceived as more concerned about their consumers. With tools like twitter, companies can listen in real time. Currently, listening is primarily done by customer service / consumer relations people. They have the opportunity to proactively respond to frustrated consumers. The value in solving a consumers problems in real time is “golden”. But there are potentially even bigger opportunities for the salesforce to engage in listening to increase sales.

Marketing Nirvana is achieved when a product, brand or idea goes viral. Active engagement in Social Media increases the chances of a product, brand or idea “going viral”.

Let me add that it is easy to get sucked into a big, dark, time sucking, black-hole if you attempt to be everywhere in the social media space. One needs go no further than http://go2web20.com to easily see that there is simply too much! Do some broad listening, determine where there is some density among your target consumers and focus on a well defined social media presence within the limitations of your resources or you will be setting yourself up for failure.

But how do I apply IMS 2.0 to an actual business?

In a way, the answer is my “trade secrets” ! But there is nothing secret about it really it is just common sense usage of what’s available.
I am doing ok, and don’t solicit clients much, they usually find me. So I am happy to share with you, a sample scenario.
Modify it, challenge it, share it as you like. It is not written in stone. It is just a guideline to help you get started. If you find it useful, I am pleased to have had the opportunity to help you on your journey to success with Internet Marketing Strategies 2.0 Sincerely, Victorseo (I need to change that to VictorIMS! But it is on so many profiles!)
Here is the CASE SCENARIO:
The proposed client is a discounter of name brand clothes with a rapidly changing inventory. Client has an existing website with a robust shopping cart. The website landing page(s) are adequately “jazzy”
Define the target market.
Define the channels that serve the target market.
Define the means and media, most suitable to your client, to engage your target, through the defined channels.
Choosing the means and media from the myriad of choices:
Some are engagement destinations (distribution), others are engagement tools.
There are 1000 choices today. Everyday there will be one more. But let’s say you already have a short list of 100. You need to make it shorter. ( I have found that I can engage in a maximum of 30 by myself)
Of the 100, Which ones does the target market engage with the most?
Which ones are most suitable to your client?
Which ones will provide the most saturation in the shortest period of time?
Let’s say that the short list is ten distribution points and five tools and looks like this:

Distribution

• Myspace
• Bebo
• Delicious
• Furl
• Friendfeed
• Mogulus
• Youtube
• Metacafe
• A blog created for this campaign
• Blogs that can help propagate this campaign Affiliate Marketing (hey, that’s 11)
  Tools:
  
• Hubpages
• Utipu
• Kickapps
• Weshow Webstorewidget