Like many of you, I recently joined the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn craze and it’s been great. I’ve re-connected with old friends from high school, college, and my fighter pilot days, and I’ve also met some very interesting people. And yes – like you, I can easily spend a few hours a day on these sites checking out profiles and looking at cool videos and photos.Last week, I was driving home from a lunch meeting and was thinking of who I needed to re-connect with. David Greenberg (a personal friend and one of the best speaker coaches I know) came to mind. And I did something crazy. I didn’t search for him on Facebook. Nor did I Tweet him a personal message. I didn’t even send him an e-mail. I actually called him on the phone, and believe it or not, he answered! We connected, shared some cool business ideas, and I hung up feeling great. Yes, I know I’m being a bit facetious here. But I have to say that if there is one thing that drives this wingman ‘wingnuts’ is when people abuse this whole social networking thing. In many ways, it’s gone from “Here’s what I’m doing” to “Here’s what I’m selling.” From “Let me connect you to” to “Let me sell you.”Well, I’ve got news for you, ye social networking gurus. If I don’t know you, I probably won’t buy from you. The reason I said ‘probably’ is because there are times when we will buy something from someone even if we don’t know them. If it has value and can help our business/life, then hey, it’s worth a look. And there’s nothing wrong with occasionally sharing our great product, seminar, or book with our contacts. Social networking sites are a tremendous way to expose our market to our value. But please, let’s not put our sales links and impersonal offers in EVERY POST we make on Twitter or Facebook!We need to be careful not to abuse the social networking sites and our connections. They are primarily for networking and making contacts, not direct sales. I believe our phone book should still remain our primary method for building and maintaining our relationships. One phone call equals 50 tweets and Facebook messages. Phone calls are great at building trust, and trust what a wingman is all about.So, here are some wingtips to augment your social networking efforts:1. Make it a priority to call a few of your special contacts every day. Do this first thing in the morning if able. These include your top clients, vendors, and yes, your friends.2. Use your phone judiciously. Before you head to the airport or Starbucks, make a list of a few wingmen to call while in your car or at the gate. 3. Give something of value to your contact on the phone (i.e. a referral.). Before you hang up, ask them this special question: “Is there anything I can help you with?”4. ** If you really want to connect with a new e-contact, research their website and call them. I guarantee they will be impressed…and shocked.In this high speed age of Twitter and text messaging where words on a screen are the norm, we need to hear each other’s voices. Voices incur emotion and emotion is what connects people. And when connections are made, trust is built and relationships develop. How people make you feel is what initially builds relationships, not the product they sell.So, if you want to be a Wingman – a trusted partner – to your network, don’t forget to reference your Phonebook in addition to Facebook when flight planning your next mission.NEVER FLY SOLO!

Technorati Tags: Business, facebook, Motivation, Networking, Phone, Sales, Social Networking

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Members of the Facebook community are now taking advantage of being able to stage events in growing numbers. An event can be a webinar, teleseminar, or a recording of a presentation or seminar. Events can be powerful tools to reach large numbers of facebook participants with useful information or entertainment. In order to make an event as profitable as possible, key steps must be followed. This article will outline those steps.

To set up an event, simply enter your Facebook profile area and click on the tab in the left hand navigation area.Next, Go ahead and click the tab that reads, “create an event,” and you are ready to go!

You will have the opportunity to name your event. The naming of your event is of crucial importance. Give it some serious thought, Once you name your event it CANNOT be changed! The name of your event should correlate to your area of interest or expertise as expressed in your profile. You want people to link you with a particular expertise, as it builds your credibility. Selecting a humorous title can be effective. People are more drawn to events that sound like fun!

It is a good idea, most of the time, to open up your Facebook event to the entire Facebook community. Limiting attendance to just your friends may not give you enough exposure. Go ahead and list your host’s name, and the type of event being planned. Next, you will write a brief description of the event. The description must outline the purpose of the event, the importance of the event, and the basic content that will be provided. Much like the name of your event, creating humor within your description can be effective.

Make sure you give careful thought for how long you want your event to be. It should be long enough to cover the content, but not so long that it bores people. Remember, you want people to return for your next event! If your event is going to be a webinar, write in “webinar” where “location” is listed on the event listing page.

With a Facebook event, it is important that you give your participants plenty of lead time. The “rule of thumb” is about one week. The Facebook system will give participants the opportunity to confirm attendance. It is important that you remind participants at least 3 times about the event. make sure that one of the reminders is on the day of the event.

Staging events is just one way to market to the facebook community. For expert training in marketing to the social networks, Renegade University offers FREE attraction marketing guidance. It is a members only site that offers excellent step-by-step video tutorials on video marketing, article marketing, email marketing, etc. etc.

Technorati Tags: facebook, Networking, Online Networking, Online Networking Sites, Social Networking, Social Networking Sites, Social Networking Website, social networking websites, Social Sites, Social-networking-online

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Members of the Facebook community are now taking advantage of being able to stage events in growing numbers. An event can be a webinar, teleseminar, or a recording of a presentation or seminar. Events can be powerful tools to reach large numbers of facebook participants with useful information or entertainment. In order to make an event as profitable as possible, key steps must be followed. This article will outline those steps.

To set up an event, simply enter your Facebook profile area and click on the tab in the left hand navigation area.Next, Go ahead and click the tab that reads, “create an event,” and you are ready to go!

You will have the opportunity to name your event. The naming of your event is of crucial importance. Give it some serious thought, Once you name your event it CANNOT be changed! The name of your event should correlate to your area of interest or expertise as expressed in your profile. You want people to link you with a particular expertise, as it builds your credibility. Selecting a humorous title can be effective. People are more drawn to events that sound like fun!

It is a good idea, most of the time, to open up your Facebook event to the entire Facebook community. Limiting attendance to just your friends may not give you enough exposure. Go ahead and list your host’s name, and the type of event being planned. Next, you will write a brief description of the event. The description must outline the purpose of the event, the importance of the event, and the basic content that will be provided. Much like the name of your event, creating humor within your description can be effective.

Make sure you give careful thought for how long you want your event to be. It should be long enough to cover the content, but not so long that it bores people. Remember, you want people to return for your next event! If your event is going to be a webinar, write in “webinar” where “location” is listed on the event listing page.

With a Facebook event, it is important that you give your participants plenty of lead time. The “rule of thumb” is about one week. The Facebook system will give participants the opportunity to confirm attendance. It is important that you remind participants at least 3 times about the event. make sure that one of the reminders is on the day of the event.

Staging events is just one way to market to the facebook community. For expert training in marketing to the social networks, Renegade University offers FREE attraction marketing guidance. It is a members only site that offers excellent step-by-step video tutorials on video marketing, article marketing, email marketing, etc. etc.

Technorati Tags: facebook, Networking, Social Networking, Social Networking Sites, social networking websites

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10 Steps to Get Started with this Social Media Superstar
So the high school and college kids I know have been talking about Facebook for several years now. And like most mature, responsible adults, I pigeonholed it as being a place where kids put incriminating pictures out for the whole world to see and is just a more modern version of the chatrooms they talked on in middle school.
Call me officially wrong! About a month ago, I joined the Facebook community (that’s me joining the over 150 million other people worldwide – seriously!) I thought it could serve some good business purposes and that I would “dink around” with it.
Wow, was I surprised. 6 hours later, I had already connected with 48 friends. (I didn’t think that many people liked me!!!) Two days later, a high school friend of mine sent me an email through Facebook asking me about my consulting business. We met a few days later and identified several projects I could do for her. Probably the easiest client I have ever found! (Not to mention I connected – and get to work – with an old friend!)
So should you be on Facebook? If you target people under age 30, I think the answer is easy (its yes!). If you target people 30 – 40, you will start seeing more and more people in this age group on this site, and the 50 year olds are not far behind. (People are talking about Facebook!) If you are a local business, it is a great chance to stand out in the vastness of the web. I think the fit for retail is huge. And if you market to a group where there is a likelihood that they will get together in discussion forums, then you will find a place here.
Sure, there may be a few types of business that don’t fit, but for most, the answer is probably, “yes.” The cost is right (free) – so you will just be investing your time. (Warning, it can be addictive. My 8th grade girlfriend – yes, you really will connect with people you have not seen in 30 years – told me her husband calls it FaceCrack!)
OK, so you are curious. Here are 10 very simple steps to get started:
1. Set up a personal account – just go to www.facebook.com and enter your name and email. It will quiz you about your background data. The more you give, the more it will help you find friends and speed start your networking.
2. Connect with personal friends and family to learn the lay of the land. Get accustomed to sending a “friend request” and replying to friend requests. Write a few “wall” posts, and do a few status updates, and comment on others. Build a group of people you are genuinely interested in connecting with. I would suggest starting with friends, then you can move into business contacts.
3. Get active with it – there is a flow to Facebook. It has its own tone (a little more sarcastic and fun than traditional communications) and lingo. It is not complex to get the hang of it, but it worth giving yourself a little time to explore and understand the overall vibe.
4. Join a few groups – search for groups related to your business and sign up for some. See how groups and related discussion boards work. If your prospective clients will be on a group discussing, then join. Focus first on having real conversations and creating value, not just on selling. (That’s true overall!) Within the first week, I made friend in Singapore (of all places) from a group discussion, which could lead to some interesting things down the road.
5. View some of the business / brand pages. Do you like the rock group Coldplay? Are you a diet coke addict? Do you have a favorite local business who has a business FB page? (Or become a “fan” of The FAMEE Foundation.) Just go to that page and become a fan. It’s fun!
6. Set up a business page for yourself – so once you get comfortable with viewing a few other business pages, set up one for yourself. A note here, I found it VERY weird how to set these up. Go to a business page (like Coke, ColdPlay, of FAMEE), and at the bottom, there is a “set up your own brand” page. It is kind of buried, but set one up. And don’t stress if you don’t have 4,000 fans overnight, let it build.
7. Start a group related to your business – Think this one through and set up a group to discuss things related to your business. Look for ways you can create value.
8. Promote it – start to let your customers know that you have a Facebook page. Put it on your website. Put it on your business card. Weave it into articles and blogs (ie: this article!!!)
9. Seek out people who would make great customers or partners – then send them a friend request.
10. Then work it. Like any marketing tool, it does not grow itself. Put a little energy into this over the course of time. Likely you will find it fun. Log on and spend a few minutes each day.
Social marketing is a key trend. Facebook is one of many tools, but certainly has a lot of momentum right now and represents a significant opportunity for those companies who see a good fit and are willing to put a little energy into the process. Lots of people find it easier and more comfortable to network online than they do in person.
Probably the best advice is have fun. If you can enjoy how you market your business, then you will do it a lot more and you will get a lot better at it. See you online!

Technorati Tags: Business, Entrepreneuer, facebook, Marketing, Networking, Small Business, social media

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Some people find that it’s most expedient to create a new Facebook profile for selling their real estate. However, if you already have friends and family that are also contacts, you might want to just go with the profile they already have friended. In any case, setting up a Facebook profile to further your real estate business is easy, but requires some thought.Unfortunately, Facebook is not yet to the point where you can automatically designate specific posts or applications as not-to-be shared. If you have your Wall open to the public or your News Feed, you may want to ensure that everything posted is client-friendly. This may mean censoring both your and your friends’ contributions to your Facebook profile.Setting the Privacy controls on your Facebook account will help you make this a dual account for both clients and friends. Depending on the nature of your contacts, you may want to designate certain areas as “certain friends only” and similarly restrict who can contact you certain ways.Deciding whether or not you want to open your entire profile to the world depends on how accessible you want to be. You can always request a client as a friend or give them your Facebook contact info to request you. However, if you want people to be able to access your real estate information on Facebook, it could be a good business move to judiciously open up a few key parts of your profile to the public.Your basic information is probably something you should keep to a select group of friends. Your clients don’t need preconceived notions about you based on what they can read about your sexual preferences, your religion, or your political views. Unless you are aiming to sell real estate only to persons of a certain religion, noting that you are a passionate follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster may cause people to pass you by, even if you aren’t actively proselytizing to them.Your profile pictures are a good one to leave open, but make sure they are professional and simple. Don’t post pictures of your family or your dog or your wood tick farm. Your clients like to be able to see a clear photo of you, so they can recognize you. It’s okay to have a photo or two of your family in a different album (some people like to have a feeling of connection with their realtor) but don’t overdo it.Applications are a hard one. Consider not adding too many frivolous ones. If you absolutely must have some, place them at the very bottom of your Facebook page, where only the determined ever go. And, whatever you do, don’t use them to contact clients with. Attacking someone with your zombie is generally not a good way to convey a professional impression. Applications can also work for you if you install a few good real estate-related ones, so take some time to check them out.Your Wall may best be hidden. Many spammers will use the Wall to place ads or phishing scams. Also, if your friends are using your Wall, it doesn’t make for a professional impression if they’re posting things like “U R so hawt! Wanna see U soon, sweetcakez!” Use your own discretion. Remember that clients can always use the Message function to send you private messages into your Inbox.Keep an eye on your photo albums and keep your personal ones to selected friends lists. The real estate albums you will, of course, wish to keep open to the public. Make sure every photo is properly tagged and given some kind of information. A link to the listing your actual website is good, but including as much information as possible can make a photo a better tool to get people to your website.The Search function can be modified to show as much or as little information as you want. Since you are using this profile as a business tool, you will probably want people to be able to contact you. Set the Search Visibility to Everyone, create a public search listing and allow people to find information about you and send you messages.Your News Feed and Mini-Feed you should keep open. Every time you change something on your profile, it will be noted and is a great way to let people know what you’re doing with your real estate without actually annoying them with direct messages. This can be modified to show people certain actions and hide certain actions. Play around with the Facebook Privacy controls to find the best combination. This is where you can hide updates to personal information that clients need not see.Use the Privacy>Applications section to restrict views of anything else you don’t want people to see. It’s up to you to consider whether they would benefit from knowing which groups you belong to or events you’ve been invited to. Look at your Facebook profile from a client’s view. Block everything that could leave them with a negative impression, but leave enough that they get a definite idea of your approach to your business. Facebook is an incredibly fast-growing social networking site which is enhanced by its easy-to-use, professional-looking layout. It definitely can be a valuable tool when used to enhance a professional image.

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Profile, Networking, Selling Homes, Social Networking

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