Blu Morpho Marketing

Wow, I’m really loving You Tube.  Until now, if I wanted to see someone show me the steps of the latest dance craze then You Tube was my Google.  But since I’ve become very serious about using it to research more serious subjects, I can see that there really is a lot of valuable information to be had.  Many people are very generous.

I’m sharing this video with you because Kyle Flaherty at Breaking Point Systems gave a great talk to the company’s global sales force.  In the presentation he shares some key points about using LinkedIn for B2B sales.  With over 60 million members, of which all Fortune 500 executives are a part, LinkedIn is not to be ignored if you’re serious about growing your business.

In general he reminds us to:

Be a resource: what’s in it for your connections

Don’t interrupt: be helpful

Connect after meeting: keep up with the people you meet in person

Be current: use LinkedIn applications to make your profile interesting

Update your profiles everywhere: when you find yourself listed on LinkedIn like sites update the profile

How helpful has LinkedIn been for you to grow your online presence and prospect for sales?

Burson-Marsteller recently released the results of a survey they conducted to determine where companies engage the most using social media tools.  The study indicates that 79 percent of the largest 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500 index are using at least one of the most popular social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or corporate blogs.

It’s interesting to find that companies are not just posting and tweeting randomly.   Real conversations are going on.  

For an evidence-based approach to social media, the reports suggest the following 9 tips:

1.  Monitor your own, and your competitors, social media presence.

2.  Get top management “buy-in”. 

3.  Develop a social media strategy.

4.  Define and publish a social media policy.

5.  Develop internal structure.

6.  Contribute to the community.

7.  Participate in good times and in bad.

8.  Be perpared to respond in real time.

9.  Beyond monitoring, measure the impact of social media engagement.

You don’t have to be a big company to harness the power of social media engagement.  The rules are the same for any size business.  In fact, social media has leveled the playing field in such a way that a small company or individual can have the same kind of reach as a bigger company by using social media tools.   But you do have to follow the rules.  If you are the top management then you must agree with yourself that you will be committed to using the social media tools you select.  Do publish your social media policy even if you are the only one who will see it at first.  This will give you a guide to help you remember what you said you would do.  Don’t think that just because your business is local that you don’t have competitors.  You do.  Social media tools provide a great way of finding out what they are doing.

So, what is your social media tool of choice?  How is your engagement through that channel improving your business outcomes?  Have you performed a social media checkup lately?

Hi All,

Maybe this is something that goes without saying, but, in our quest to become all that we need to be online, never forget that humans need actual touch.    Who have you hugged today?

Our world is changing at a rapid pace.  Every day new technologies challenge the limits of what we thought was possible today.  No where is that more evident than in the work environment.  Our once tried and true way of going to the office, staying there for the required amount of time, then doing it again the next day is practically gone.  I’m not saying that all corporate offices will disappear, of course.  Some jobs and careers really have to be done in person.  I mean, I wouldn’t want my doctor to perform my surgery from the golf course via teleconference call.  That would be awkward.  But overall, technology has made the idea of working remotely a viable option that could fit into many types of occupations. 

I ran across this fantastic podcast produced by Business Week Small Business called, Boosting Productivity Through Virtual Collaboration.  It takes about 30 minutes but well worth the investment of time.  The two guest panelists give great answers to questions such as these:

• How do I encourage virtual collaboration in my very traditional workplace?
• How do virtual teams create effective communication?
• When should we be face to face?
• What is virtual distance and how do we overcome it?
• How do virtual workers remove the obstacle of seeming non-productive just because you’re out of sight?

The biggest fact that this video uncovers is the idea that virtual is only about telecommuters or freelancers.  Actually, if you even use a PDA, laptop, or any mobile device you work virtually.   How many of us now have to understand how to connect to or facilitate online meetings?  Quite a few I would suspect. 

So watch the video then let me know what you think? 

Do you think that understanding how to work virtually will be a priority for your career growth?

If so, do you see that as a good thing or a curse?

As a manager of virtual workers, what would be your biggest concern?

Are you a technology expert?  Well, I’m not!  There is so much to learn and new developments emerge daily.  It’s no wonder that a person who is really a marketer or lawyer might struggle a bit when it comes to managing hardware, software, applications and such.  While I was surfing the net today, I found this really great article, Managing the Technological Side of Your Business When You Don’t Understand Technology.  The article gives practical information about finding help with technology for e-commerce businesses.  However, it’s still good advice no matter what your industry.

Additionally, here are my top 3 reasons for why it’s a good idea to get help with technology: Continue reading 3 Reasons To Get Help With Technology

I don’t know about you but the fact that Twitter is now profitable is a weight off my shoulders. Over the years we’ve seen these companies become a major force for changing the way people communicate. So, what if Twitter were to go under, wouldn’t that alter the lives of many. Continue reading Twitter Is Profitable! Finally!

I have the pleasure of receiving the newsletter of Alicia Forest, the creator of “Client Abundance”.  She gave me permission to share a blog post she wrote with all of you.  Hopefully,  the information will be useful in helping you move marketing your business a lot higher on your Christmas list. It’s a gift you should give yourself.

To read the post, jump over to our community site (oh, I mean your community site) and leave you comments there, too.

Happy Marketing!

In this video interview search marketing expert explains the value of both free and fee-based keyword tools. These tools help you find the search terms that are actually being used by people to find things on the web so you can optimize your online marketing. She discusses the Google Keyword Tool, that shows search numbers and search trends month by month over the year.

Link for Original Post

Social media monitoring. That’s the little stepchild of social media. Yet, it is also the most needed member of the social media family. Without monitoring, how will you know if what you are doing is working or producing the outcomes that you are expecting. Simple answer, you won’t know. As William Hung, so famously put it, I too have no formal education with most of the tools that I am using. I’m just doing my best. But Continue reading Learning with Lori: Social Media ROI

Social media may be on the top of everyone’s mind these days but email is definitely not dead.  In fact, I believe that the deeper a person is involved with using social media tools to communicate the more email that person will eventually receive. 

The resource I want to share with you today is called Xobni (that’s inbox spelled backwards).  I’ve been using it for about a year with great results.  This plugin helps me keep my email conversations and their attachments in one place, a sidebar next to my outlook inbox.  Whenever I click on an email, I see a picture of the person, their contact information, whatever social media links they have and the email conversations and attachments.  All of this information comes from where ever that person is plugged in to the web liked LinkedIn or Facebook.   This outlook plugin also gives a graph of what time of the day this person normally emails me and a list of the other people involved in that particular conversation.   All of that and it can be searched too.

It’s better than sliced bread if you ask me so go on over to the Xobni site and view a video about the service.  Then don’t be afraid to download it and simplify your life.

(This is not a paid content post.)