Virtual Business Cultivation Using Social Networks to Grow Your Business

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Virtual Business CultivationUsing Social
Networks to Grow Your Business
Gene Geiger Presentation to SACDV June 22, 2009
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People Buy From People
Relationships Open Doors,Allow Problems To Be
Solved
People Buy From PeopleThey Know And Trust
This Is A Relationship Business
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But the barriers between us and them
Building security Voice mail Spam filters No
time Dont call, send me an email I want to
leave a voicemail, not talk to a person. No
Cold Calls!
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While building doors are closing
virtual doors are opening
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Limitless Social Networks Connect Virtually
Everyone
And you can build your own with Ning
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A World Of Listening, Learning, Sharing Virtually
Pictures Social Bookmarks Comment and
Reputation Blogs/Conversations Blog
Platforms Blog Communities Social
Networks Location Video Events Music Wiki Social
Bookmarks Livestreams Livecasting Niche
Networks SMS/Voice Customer Service Networks
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The Social Web

• Online place where people with common interest
  gather to share information and opinions.
• Its not transactions or hard selling

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The Social Web

• Reputation Aggregators. Assemble things in order
  of reputation. Ex Google, Yahoo!
• Blogs. Online journals to post ideas, images,
  links to other sites. Ex Blogger, Twitter
• Topic Specific Communities. Ex Starbucks.com,
  ASI Social Network, DailyBoost
• Social Networks. Places where people with a
  common interest come together to meet others.
  Ex Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flikr

And everything is overlapping and converging
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Not For Kids Only!

• nearly all of the recent growth in social
  networking have come from older people.
• Pew Research Center, April 2009

Source Adweek.com 5/27/2009
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Why Should I Care About

• What Bill had for breakfast, or
• Sue loves her Golden Retriever, or
• Carlos bought a showerhead at Lowes

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Think About What You Do At
Planned and random encounters. Bits and pieces
of information that give you a feel and open
opportunities. Chit chat is part of learning and
relationship building.
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Help!!! I Cant Keep Up!!!

• Chiswil Just added myself to the
  http//wefollow.com twitter directory under
  entrepreneur media gre

No one understands it all. Focus on 2 or 3
tools.
Except Dale Denham, but hes a genuine genius
and Renaissance man.
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Lets Look At 3
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• Business-oriented directory
• For professional networking.
• 40 million users, 170 industries (May 2009)
• More than once, I relied on LinkedIn to make
  contactsLinkedIn succeeded where all other
  marketing attempts failed.

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• 200 million members, 170 countries, 35 languages
• 50 of users over age 35!
• Web and cell phone apps
• After friending, direct communication line
  without spam filters, emails to open and save.
• Communications platform text, photos, video,
  etc.
• I dont use email with family and friends
  anymore.
• Mir Hossein Mousavi ??? ???? ?????
• The Vatican -- Pope 2.0, www.pope2you.net

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• 35 million users
• Microblog tweets of 140 characters
• Follow and be followed (or not)
• Restricted or open access
• Info pushed instantly to browsers and cell phones
  via text (SMS) messages, special apps
• Include links to more information
• Ambient awareness Glimpse into daily routines
  of ones network
• Super fresh Web

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• makes a terrible first impressionyet turns out
  to have unsuspected depth. --TIME 6/4/2009

Iran crucial tool in the cat-and-mouse game
between the opposition and the government over
enlisting world opinion. Hashtag IranElection
Why tweet? Start tweeting urself sic youll
figure it out. --Jack Welch
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• Status What are you doing?

USA Today Newsline Deep fissures seen in Iran
with arrest. Grisham looks back at Time Money
Google phone set for launch Sports Tigers give
Detroit a rebound Life Inner-city kids pay their
way
CNN CrawlCNN CrawlCNN CrawlCNN CrawlCNN Crawl
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Okay. What Can This Stuff Do For My Business?
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Open A Door, Start A Conversation

• From Facebook or Twitter status
• I loved that movie, too
• Sorry your Uncle passed away.
• Ive never been to Cancun. Why do you like it?
• Welcome back to Upper 48.
• Conversation in person, on phone, via email.

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Learn What They Think, Feel, Do

• From LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter, Facebook
• Consider the value knowing how people think,
  interests, common ground, what turns them on or
  off, how they are feeling today?
• Learn things about customers and prospects you
  would never know.
• Tweet to BlackBerry Had a great meeting today

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Solicit Input

• From Twitter, Facebook
• Dont think Norwoods filing will affect us.
  What do others think?
• May was an up month for us compared to the
  first 4 months. Others?
• Need lead testing done. Best source?

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Share Knowledge/Ideas

• Share to friends Facebook
• Share an article of interest.
• Bill, just saw this article (or blog) on green
  marketing that supports the idea weve been
  discussing. I think we are on the right track.

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Post To Provoke Conversation

• Post stories on Facebook, Twitter
• Share a NY Times, WSJ, or USA Today story for
  friends and followers to see.
• See who is interested. What they say reveals
  interest and opinions.
• Other person starts the conversation

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Publish Your Expertise

• Blogger, ASI Social Network, Daily Boost
• Blog what you know or have done (i.e. case
  histories)
• Make it public or for industry
• Link to Blog from email signature
• Promote with link on Twitter and Facebook.
• Must be frequent and interesting
• Rick Brenner/Primeline Product Safety

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Follow Your Customers

• Follow on Twitter, Search
• Instant information on plans, activities,
  challenges, and needs.
• Google Blog Search http//blogsearch.google.com/
• Google Alerts www.google.com/alerts

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Do Good Be Visible

• Facebook page
• ReStart Challenge, 46 fans
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Support for business, physical, personal
• Link to personal blog
• Stories of others to inspire

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Reconnecting

• Facebook search
• Reconnected with lost buyer
• College friends. Found, watched what they do, 5
  new customers
• Ken, I forgot you.

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Winning Over New Buyer

• Long term client, new antagonistic buyer
• Facebook post 912 am
• Does anyone know a long term employee of _____.
  Want to learn more of their culture.
• 3 contact names by 1102 am
• Read bio/interests on LinkedIn
• Likes to fish
• Devising a plan to win over

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Build Brand Awareness

• Facebook or Twitter status
• Just back from ASI Show! Best ever
• Scott is excited at the possibilities of working
  with a handful of forward-thinking companies and
  their leadership management teams.

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Differentiate Yourself

• Facebook, Twitter, Blog
• Thought of the day
• Knowledge shared
• Clever Tweets
• Goal Top Of Mind Awareness

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Instant Info To Everyone

• Twitter to Sales Partners and Associates
• http//twitter.com/geigergetsit
• Breaking News - BIC Graphic USA purchases Norwood
  for 125 million plus liabilities.
• Gemline (56070) has updated their USB pricing for
  the week. Check it out at http//bit.ly/2lqK8k
• 63rd Geiger National Sales Conference (St.
  Thomas, 2009) photos are trickling into Flickr.
  http//bit.ly/Ib0Mh

Confidential info kept behind the wall.
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Harness A Large Team

• 10X Factor
• Network for
• Ideas
• Answers
• Leads
• Legal advice
• Tips

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The Power Of Friends, A Team

• Those who master these connections stand to win
  a big edge the connections and brainpower of a
  large team.

To build up communication within the company,
IBM Research scours its networks for employees
with similar interests and expertise and
suggests them as friends.
Light allianceslead to new opportunities.
Friendship is a marketplace in which we trade
favors.
Business Week 5/21/2009
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Ideas
Touch
Feedback
Top Of Mind
Virtual
Its A Whole New World, But Its The Same Old
Stuff
Reconnecting
Advice
Brand Building
Help!!!
Sharing Expertise
Learning
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Expect Rapid Change

• 4/9/2009 Google Chat Status
• de-friending people on my social networks ?
• -- Jeff Geiger

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More Information

• Blog
• Social Media Bible http//www.fastcompany.com/tag/
  social-media-bible
• Book
• Marketing To The Social Web
• How Digital Customer Communities Build Your
  Business
• --Larry Webber

Caution If it is more than 3 months old, its
out of date