Randall Craig, Social Media, Social Networking, Speaker, Associations, Business, Consulting

Is Social Networking supposed to sell?

by RandallCraig on May 16, 2012

Filed in: Blog, Blogging, Business Development, Make It Happen Tipsheet, Networking, Uncategorized

Consider these Tipsheets: there are over 300 of them, and they certainly don’t “sell” anything. Each week, I give away a small nugget of information, and tie it to an immediate action. These non-salesy Tipsheets, like the vast majority of blogs, are designed to credentialize expertise and build trust, slowly over time.

Interestingly, I recently received an email from a reader saying that he was about to unsubscribe, but he wanted to give me “a chance” and explain why, in person. As this reader was in the same city as I was, I took him up on his offer to meet for a coffee. Social Networking translated into real-world networking.

Beyond the introductions and pleasantries, what I received was a high pressure sales pitch for their marketing services. As the service wasn’t needed, the meeting ended relatively quickly. There was no follow-up email post meeting. And a few weeks later this person unsubscribed. (It’s ironic – he is the one that needs to see this post!)

Lessons learned:

Developing relationships takes time, both in the real world and in Social Media. Trying to make a quick sale over coffee is great if you’re selling coffee, but bad if you’re selling something more complex – like anything.
Bait-and-Switch is a bad networking strategy. If the invitation to meet is for one purpose, don’t trot out something different.
A blog is a great place to develop and explore ideas over a longer term. And in so doing, a blog is also a great place to develop trust.
Follow-up after a network meeting is critical. Like the blog, a real-life meeting and a follow-up email are merely steps up the relationship curve.

Social Media can be used to sell, but one of the most effective strategies has to be Give to Get; the sale will take place, but only when you’ve demonstrated your expertise, earned the trust, and the buyer is ready to buy – which may take years.

This week’s action plan: Where does your blog fit on the sell/no-sell continuum? If you’re not happy with it there, make a change. If you don’t blog, look back at your favorite blog (besides this one!) and evaluate it: where does it fit on the continuum? And how would you feel if it was changed?

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.

Randall Craig

@RandallCraig (follow me)

www.RandallCraig.com
www.ptadvisors.com
www.ProfessionallySpeakingTV.com

Join me on May 24th at 4pm EST for a (free) look at Strategic Blogging.

Click here for more information or to register.

{ 0 comments }

QR Codes: Qritical or Qraze?

by RandallCraig on May 9, 2012

Filed in: Blog, Communication, Make It Happen Tipsheet, Media, Social Media

Tagged as: marketing, Mobile, QR code

Check out the latest brochure, advertisement, billboard, or business card, and you’ll see that ubiquitous square: the QR Code. For those who don’t know what about them, here is how they work: a special “app” on your smart phone takes a picture of it, decodes it, and (usually) sends your smart phone’s browser to a specific web page.

To create a code, just Google the words QR Code and you’ll find a number of no-cost web-based QR Code creators. To read the code, go to your smart phone’s app store and do a similar search, then install what you find. (My favorite is ScanLife.) Here’s an example code that takes you to my (no cost) blog course registration page:

From a marketer’s perspective, this simple code bridges the real world to the web: it is the stimulus that begins the social conversation. Here are seven key considerations for using them:

1) Set the goal of your QR code: why would a person actually scan the code? Is it an impulsive registration or purchase? Or is it to provide deeper knowledge beyond the ad or brochure? If there isn’t a reason to scan, the QR code is merely clutter that detracts from the message.

2) Create a mobile-friendly landing page: since you know the user has a smartphone, why send them to a regular web site? A special-purpose landing page, optimized for mobile, will result in far greater conversion.

3) The shorter the URL. the less dense the resulting QR code will be. This means that there will be fewer errors when users scan it. Use a URL shortener (bit.ly, budurl.com, etc) to shorten the URL significantly.

4) Print the QR code in a high contrast area: not black on grey, and not superimposed on a picture. Black and white, for once, trumps color.

5) Deploy QR codes only in places where there is data access. It never ceases to amaze me when I see dough-brained Social Media “agencies” creating QR code advertisements that are placed in the subway. No data access there!

6) Test the code before printing it. And then test it again.

7) For advanced marketers: QR codes can actually do far more than just send people to a web site. Depending on the user’s QR reader software and their smartphone, a QR code can send a text message, display a contact record, show a calendar event, and much, much more.

This week’s action plan: Where might a QR code work for you? If you haven’t yet, begin experimenting. Here is an idea: create QR codes within proposals or product brochures that link to product videos, testimonials, and other visual content. (And if they don’t like this idea, you can always put one on your resume that connects to your LinkedIn profile…)

Web Trivia: QR stands for Quick Response.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.

Randall Craig

@RandallCraig (follow me)

www.RandallCraig.com
www.ptadvisors.com
www.ProfessionallySpeakingTV.com

Join me on May 24th at 4pm EST for a look at Strategic Blogging.

Click on the pic below for more information or to register.

{ 0 comments }

Viewpoint: EBook Lawsuit? Next up is iCensorship

by RandallCraig May 4, 2012

Consider the newest words entering our vocabulary: Kindle, eReader, Nook, iBooks, and Kobo. Let me add one more: iCensorship. If the stats are to be believed, our eBook purchases on these devices are fast eclipsing traditional print books. This isn’t surprising, as eBooks are not bulky, don’t kill our forests, and they’re cheaper. Despite these [...]

Social Customer Service Strategy

by RandallCraig April 26, 2012

Ever feel slighted, ignored, disenfranchised, “sold to”, taken for granted, or just plain commoditized? For many prospects, these feelings are what prevent a sale from taking place. They prevent repeat sales, prevent referrals, and encourage negative word-of-mouth. Clearly, great customer service – supported by great training and great management – are fundamental, but how can [...]

Social Media Measurement

by RandallCraig April 12, 2012

How do you know if you are successful at Social Media? While the answer a few years ago may have been it’s so experimental, we’ll have to see, the answer from some today is similarly dissatisfying: Social Media ROI is comparable to computing the ROI of a telephone. We can do better than this – [...]

Corporate Success Factors

by RandallCraig April 5, 2012

It’s always easy to look at other organizations – or other people – and marvel at their incredible foresight, acumen, and investment. To look at some of the most successful companies and their products – Apple and Google come to mind – and say “They were just lucky” is too easy, and unlikely. Few people [...]

Can you ever have too many friends? (yes)

by Randall March 29, 2012

Do you play the milestone game with your Social Media accounts? When you first sign up, you aim for ten connections. Then 50, 100, 250, and finally the coveted 500 – you’ve arrived. And then you aim for 1000. How many is too many? As I look at my own LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, it [...]

Viewpoint: Social Censorship

by RandallCraig March 15, 2012

No CEO wants to be known as a hypocrite. But unfortunately, many are precisely that – here’s why. There is an interesting conundrum that many companies face when expanding beyond their borders. A key reason for their success at home has been that they could take advantage of the homegrown business environment. They operated in [...]

Seven Social Media Job Search Steps

by Randall March 8, 2012

Even from the most committed employees, one question comes up over and over again: how to use Social Media to find your next job. It might be couched in different language (How do I develop professional profile/How do I take advantage of Social tools for support, etc), but the question remains. How can you use [...]

Three lessons from the Facebook prospectus

by RandallCraig February 23, 2012

If you’re reading this, the chances that you are on Facebook are relatively high. And sadly, the chances that you personally will duplicate Mark Zuckerberg’s business success are relatively low. Very few of us will take our companies public, let along profit so handsomely during our careers. What we can do, however, is learn from [...]

Six Steps to Strategic Blogging

by Randall February 17, 2012

Chances are that you are not a blogger. But chances are relatively high that you like the idea of being one. During my last 100 or so presentations, I asked the audiences if they blog: only a sprinkling of hands typically go up. When asked if they like the idea of blogging, most people put [...]

You may have seen me recently…

by RandallCraig February 14, 2012

For those reading, or watching) the news, you may have seen me recently. I’ve been quoted, or have appeared) in the following newspapers, magazines, or TV shows: Globe and Mail, Feb 14, 2012 IT Business, Feb 1, 2012 CBC National News, Jan 31, 2012 Huffington Post, Jan 24, 2012 CHCH TV News, Jan 2, 2012 [...]

Marketing Insight: When Users Defect

by Randall January 31, 2012

Have you labored over your blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter for years, only to suddenly find a huge drop in your traffic? As managers begin to probe the Return on Social Media Investment, an unexpected reversal is frustrating – and can have direct impact on the organization’s brand… and those responsible for it. Determining the [...]

Audience Assumptions

by Randall January 24, 2012

My recent trip to India has once again sensitized me to an assumption that writers and speakers too often make: that everyone understands what you mean to say. Test yourself – what do the following three words mean? Flyover, Subway, and Removalist. If you are in India, a Flyover is a local bridge that “flies [...]

Access Assumptions

by Randall January 17, 2012

One Billion. You may think I’m referring to the number of Facebook and LinkedIn users, but I’m not. I’m referring to the approximate population of India. While on a trip there, I decided to take pictures of local businesses, then compare the “real” with their Social Media presence. Sadly, I was unable to find more [...]

Signalling Your Intentions

by Randall January 11, 2012

After spending a few days in India, I have a new-found appreciation for the horn. Unlike in North America (or Europe), Indian drivers have developed an entire language with this instrument. In a land where lane markings are ignored at best, as each vehicle (autorickshaw, car, motorcycle or truck) approaches from the side or rear, [...]

Tools of the Trade

by RandallCraig January 3, 2012

If you are reading this and profess to have some expertise in Social Media, then you may be offended by my next comment: it soon won’t matter, and your “expertise” is fast becoming irrelevant. Your long term career is in jeopardy, and your short term prospects are also questionable. Note that I didn’t say that [...]

← Previous Entries

Randall's Resources
Whenever I speak or write, I often prepare extra "bonus" materials. Enter the Resource Code to access this special content:
Resource Code:
Try this example Resource Code: eventplanning