Popularized by the Oscar-winning movie, social networking is fast becoming the standard of networking today.  LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter allow you to forge business relationships from the comfort of your home or office, and suddenly your world is opened up exponentially!  Although that’s not news, the IRL (in real life) component of social networking is new to me and, as I’ve pleasantly discovered, it’s the critical piece of the puzzle!

Taking your social network offline and into real life is like pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz.  What you will discover is the person behind the avatar… And – as real people in real life – you will gain invaluable insight into your followers/friends that social networking just can’t provide.  This doesn’t mean you need to schedule meet-ups with all 2,000 of your connections but what it does mean is once your online conversations start piling up, make time outside of Twitter to sit down and network in-person.  Although the breadth online is vast, the depth of traditional networking is key to building lasting business relationships.

Just remember, not every follower needs to be a friend and not every friend needs to be a follower.  Also, if you don’t have time to meet on an individual basis, tweetups or workshops are great ways to connect with a group of people at once.

Are you socializing IRL?

***A big thanks to my new Tweeps IRL @alexjvasquez, @edwardlawrence, @oakleyOC, @lorennason, @HealthOC and @thebigdebowski (for teaching me the acronym;-)

Plugins are to WordPress what apps are to smartphones…  They optimize and extend performance beyond your imagination, they’re constantly improving and they’re just plain awesome!

To that end, I’d like to revisit a previous post that addressed the question, Which plugins should I use and add to that list a few I recently discovered (with the help of my friends – thanks Gerry!):

• WPtouch – tranforms your blog into a smartphone app
• WP-Optimize – cleans up your WordPress database
• Blackbird Pie – adds embedded tweets into your posts
• LinkedIn Share Button -  allows quick and easy sharing via LinkedIn

What great plugins have you found?

When looking for blog inspiration, I turn to other marketing sites for relevant topics (naturally;-) In doing so, I stumbled upon this: Blog Commenting as a Powerful Marketing Strategy. What some bloggers may not realize is that writing a post is only part of the equation; The Golden Rule of Blogging, “Do unto others [blogs] as you would have others do unto you[r blog].”

After posting my first entry, I couldn’t WAIT to read all the insightful comments from my droves of adoring fans (alas, all I heard were crickets…) But what I didn’t realize then was how important it is to be an active participant in the blogging community as a whole, rather than just posting to my own site. As David explains (he’s actually a guest blogger on this site, ironically – another great way to generate interest in your own blog!) “Engaging in blog commenting is one of the best ways in [which to] increase your visibility to online readers interested in your niche.” He also outlines some very helpful hints to get people to comment on your blog as well as creating comments yourself. The full post is definitely worth a read but here are some highlights:

1. Find five or six blogs in which to post valuable comments rather than trying to remark on every industry-related blog you discover.
2. The content of your comment is more important than the act itself.
3. Elaborate on your reasons for commenting rather than a one-dimensional reply (great post, thanks for this, etc..)
4. Post first (if possible.)
5. Always respond to comments and do so promptly.

Furthermore, comments can actually be the best part of a post (or at least the most entertaining;-) So go ahead and speak your mind, your blog is sure to thank you!

(And so will I, please post a comment below:-)

I recently attended a webinar, Social Media for Business Marketers in which Quora was described as gaining strength in B2B markets. So… I joined (here’s my profile) But it’s been quite sometime and I’m still questioning it! I took to Twitter to see if anyone shared my woes; as it turns out, I’m not alone…

Taken directly from their website, “Quora is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each question page become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.”

In theory, this is a great concept and hopefully, it just takes time or – as they say – practice makes perfect… I have used it to research blog topics and it’s been a useful tool in that respect. I also think, for field experts, it’s a great place to showcase your knowledge. But it’s otherwise complex in nature and therefore, intimidating to use. In fact, the very first question is a laundry list of things necessary to set it up correctly! Moreover, it seems most of the social media tools out there (perhaps in conjunction but nevertheless) cover most of Quora’s capabilities.

I’ll be interested to see the evolution of Quora but as it stands, I’m still confused… No matter how many answers I get;-)

Is Quora the Q or the A?

It’s the same old song – the New Year started off with a bang… You updated your facebook business page, attended a few social media workshops and webinars, wrote several blog posts and even tweeted them! Well, now we’re three months in and already your blog has cobwebs, you haven’t tweeted in weeks and the last place you checked in on foursquare was New Year’s Day brunch!

You keep asking yourself, who has the time for this?! The answer is, even social media junkies hit a wall at some point. It’s information overload (even for the experts;-) So how do you get back on track and furthermore, how do you maintain a consistent social media program so you’re not constantly falling off the wagon?

First and foremost, make sure you’re using the best tools for your business as well as a social media management tool. Then, create an action plan. I found equating this concept to an exercise regimen seemed like a “fitting” analogy;-) By applying the same principles you would to get in shape, I made a checklist for getting your social media strategy toned in no time!

Here’s the skinny:

• Set a realistic goal – as with exercise, too much too soon is just setting yourself up for failure. Decide on a weekly schedule and stick to it, no excuses.
• Write it down – by putting things in writing you are making yourself accountable. Like counting calories, become aware of what it takes to reach your goal and keep track of it.
• Don’t punish yourself – we all make mistakes but there’s always tomorrow. So if you miss a post, don’t stress. Just make sure to get back on track as soon as possible.
• Reward yourself – when you DO stick to your program, give yourself a just reward (and since you’re NOT on a diet – chocolate is completely acceptable in this case;-)
• Everything in moderation – extreme exercise can derail even the toughest athlete. Make sure you’re doing social media in moderation and you’re sure to be a winner!
• Buddy up – in the case of social media, don’t take it all on yourself. Ask for blog topics from friends and co-workers, schedule tweets, use lists and, if possible, divide and conquer. If that’s not an option, use your online pals as inspiration to keep going – they love to help each other out!

What are some other tips to keep your social media program up and running?

Is social media an effective medium for distributing press releases? Ironically, to answer my own question, I sought the help of Twitter and Quora where I found some very interesting information on this topic.

First and foremost, social media should be used as a complement to, not a replacement for, the traditional press release; however, there are still some challenges to effectively distributing releases on social media:

1. Twitter is the preferred push medium for distributing press releases. Journalists found Facebook annoying but still saw email as the most effective means for distribution.
2. Use social media to build relationships. When used as a relationship-building platform, the case for social media seems to be strongest. Build relationships with journalists online, and then take business offline.
3. Tweet the actual link to the article, once the release has been converted to press, thereby proving yourself newsworthy and giving due credit to the reporter.

The rules aren’t hard and fast as of yet, but when it comes to social media – people typically dislike being pitched. So make your story engaging and your audience the general public, then… start spreading the news!

What are your thoughts on social media and press releases?

Digg, a social news website, is an information junkie’s dream! Thousands of articles stream through multiple channels allowing you to “digg,” comment and even create headlines. As with most social sites, having followers makes it more fun; however, as evidenced by this recent article in CNN Tech, it’s now more crucial than ever to start digging!

So here’s what’s new at Digg:

1. Site redesign – based on user feedback, Digg has gone to great lengths to reflect what its users want.
2. Profile pages/statistics – prominently displaying who dugg what, when and how often.
3. Opt-in – several options for when your stories make “Top News.”

All in all, I’d say Digg, new or old, is definitely one of my favorite sites. It’s user-friendly, manageable and informative. It may not have the influence of a Facebook or Twitter but I’ve found it a very valuable source of news which I then, of course, share my tweeps☺

You Digg?! (I do… Alidggs)

LinkedIn is one of the most relevant social media tools for business and, in my personal opinion, one of the most fun!!

LinkedIn is like a working resume; you catalog your work history/specialties, get recommendations from coworkers, and connect with those you already do business with as well as prospects you’d like to meet. You can link your blog, twitter account, even read and recommend books. In short, this is Facebook for professionals (minus the pictures of you from high school you never thought you’d have to see again;-)

This article by Marketo (which I found on LinkedIn;-) addresses the 5 Reasons to Leverage LinkedIn To Increase Your B2B Prospects but I’ve listed a few highlights for getting started:

1. Profile – Make sure your profile is 100% complete, add a picture, list job experience and get recommendations from colleagues.
2. Participate – Like all social media, your page requires effort on your part. Actively participate by accepting invitations from those you know (see #4) recommending books, joining groups, etc.
3. Blog – If you write a blog, add it to your page.  If your connections write blogs, follow them.
4. Invitations – Be discretionary with your invitations. You should have actually had face to face interactions with the people you connect with, whether you’ve done business with them or not, you should be able to recommend them for a job with confidence.
5. Search – Companies, people, prospects and leverage the connections you have with those you desire. That’s really what it’s all about…

Are you LinkedIn?

Before we delve any deeper into Social Media For B2B Companies, I’d like to mention some of the tools that organize your media into a manageable system, allowing for optimization and efficiency.

Mashable awarded these 5 the “Best Social Media Management Tools”:

1. Tweetdeck
2. CoTweet
3. Hootsuite
4. Spredfast
5. Engage121

I use Hootsuite and honestly, I don’t know WHAT I’d do without it! I love its user-friendly interface, ability to add streams and capacity to see all the pertinent activity in my accounts at once. Whichever tool you decide to use, decide on one. It makes your social media life exponentially easier!

Which social media management tool do you use?

With so many social media tools to choose from, you can’t possibly utilize them all, nor would it be effective, particularly if you’re a B2B company. I recently attended an interesting webinar on this precise topic: Social Media for Business Marketers.

It may surprise you what I learned…

• The mainstays of B2B social media:

1. Blogging
2. LinkedIn
3. YouTube

• Quora is gaining strength with B2B companies

• ROI of social media can be measured per ‘tweet’

• Direct-mail spending is expected to decline nearly 40% by 2014

Social media, as we’ve discussed in the past, is changing the face of marketing as we know it. Its overwhelming nature can cause improper use of tools meant to make our businesses better. Always remember, when it comes to social media, it helps to focus on what make sense for your business and practice proper ‘netiquette.’

What social media tools are you using? Are they effective?