Do you think about who you connect with on LinkedIn? I’m really picky as to who I connect with on LinkedIn.  Maybe it’s just me, but I think this network requires that you be picky.  Have you noticed what your options are when you get a connection request?  You don’t have the option to “ignore”, but you can say you don’t know them.  To me, this says don’t accept people you don’t know.   That’s point one.

Point two?  LinkedIn is a professional network. It’s not a “social” social network.  It’s not about weekend trips and games with your Hubby or dinner with your friends.  In my mind that kind of chatter is actually distracting on LinkedIn.  The conversation on LinkedIn needs to be a professional one.  More like going to a networking meeting and discussing your job or business.  Anything else is distracting and annoying, to be blunt.

Here’s my philosophy on LinkedIn.

1)  I connect with people I know and people who might be a client only. If you think you can offer services to my clients, I want to know who you are first.  People know me as a marketing manager and implementer for life changers.  I get web designers/developers, social media experts etc… trying to connect with me all the time on LinkedIn.  I see my network on LinkedIn as a way to recommend people.  I don’t recommend people I don’t know.  If you want to be a potential JV partner or referral partner, connect on my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter and help me get to know you.  Once I know you and I’m confident you can help my network, then I’ll be happy to connect on LinkedIn, as well.

2)  Automation is not recommended 100% of the time. I’ve noticed that some people have their twitter stream feeding into their LinkedIn status updates.  This seems like a great idea, doesn’t it?  Think about it.  On Twitter, you can talk about any kind of topic.  If you connect your catch all (this is all about me, my life, and my business) twitter stream with your LinkedIn account, it’s not in integrity with what the network is about.  Now, if you have a business only twitter account, then, yes, by all means connect that one up with your LinkedIn status updates.

I’ve just recently noticed that http://ping.fm allows you to create “groups”.  This makes it easy!  I have a personal group, a business group, and a few others.  I can post to all my networks at once if I want.  For business stuff I do that, including LinkedIn.

3)  Be aware of the conversation. One of the great features (that I don’t take advantage of enough yet) are the groups on LinkedIn.  There are some really great groups that are having amazing conversations.  So, check them out and sign up for a few.  At the same time, be aware of the converstiaon.  I see way too many people just throwing up promos left and right, without participating in discussion.  Remember Yahoo groups?  Same thing was/is happening there too.  Stick to the topic.  Put your promos in your signature, unless there is a specified way to send promos to the group.  Ask the administrator if you don’t know.

So, what are your thoughts on LinkedIn?  Do you agree that it should be professional conversation only?  What is your philosophy?

I’m seeing this issue a lot lately.  Are you?  Some internet entrepreneurs have an assistant or behind the scenes person doing social networking for them.  Others swear they do it all themselves and it’s a rip off to do it any other way.  Who’s right?  I think BOTH are.

On one hand, social networks are about being social and connecting with others.  They are about getting visibility for your business and creating relationships that are profitable.  They are also a place to connect with like-minded people and have stimulating conversations about your chosen profession.

On the other hand, there is a lot of work involved with social networking.  The profile maintenance, the branding customizations and the plug-in additions.  Not to mention the actual communication that goes on.  Much of this can be handled by a skilled social networking expert who knows the technology.

So, what’s possible to outsource?  Well, that depends on how much time you have for social networking.  If you have time to communicate and run the technology without taking time away from other income-generating activities, well then have it and do it all by yourself.

If you have limited time for social networking, but it’s been a huge reason that you have been successful, then it might be time to consider outsourcing it.  Okay, so what EXACTLY can you outsource on social networks?  Let me give you a list:

• Profile changes.  Especially in Facebook, where there are so many apps and customizations you can make.
• Branding changes.  When you change your brand, your networks need to be updated.
• Friend/Follow maintenance.  Once you set up a clear criteria, this can be handled by someone else.  Give them a list of all the people you just met an event and they can add them into your mix too.
• Marketing Messages.  This is great for a Fan Page where it’s all business.  Have a great writer take what you’ve written for your marketing campaign and break it down into conversation starters, then post those on your networks.
• Affiliate posts.  If you are an affiliate, have someone pre-set your affiliate postings if possible.  Have them go in on a regular basis and post updates with affiliate links.
• Customer service issues.  If you get people coming to you through social networks asking standard questions that your customer service team can answer, have them do so.

Now, the every day responses to others will be all up to you.  Your outsource company can get the conversation started, but you need to be present to keep it going when you get a response.  You also need to put your “in the moment” thoughts out there, becuase these are most attractive to potential clients.  You don’t need to be into the technology.  If you are making money from being on social networks, then you can invest in a team to allow you more time to serve the clients you get from you social networking activities.

So, the answer is yes and no.  Yes, you can outsource if you’re business is growing from social networks.  No, you can’t outsource EVERYTHING…because no one is you and your social networks want to know YOU.  You CAN get help from professionals when it pays off.  So, are you ready to outsource yet?  What are your thoughts on this topic?  Leave a comment.  I’d love to hear from you.

Have you heard?  There’s a new industry report out about social media marketing.  Michael Stelzner surveyed nearly 900 Social Media Marketers (including myself) and has published his results.  I’m going to highlight some of the important parts for coaches here.  If you want to see the entire report, you can go to Michael’s blog and download it.

What constitutes social media?

First off I want to clarify what I mean when I say social media.  This survey included Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, You Tube, Social Bookmarking sites, Stumble Upon, Digg (and others like it), and Friend Feed.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

“The number-one benefit of social media marketing is gaining the all-important eyeball.  A significant 81% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated exposure for their businesses. Improving traffic and growing lists was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships.”

I’ve had many coaches ask me, what the ROI for social media is.  Well, here ya go!  More exposure leads to more clients.  It’s as simple as that.  I know, it’s easy to continue marketing the way you always have, but what about expanding your community?  Through social media you can exponentially expand the amount of people you expose your business to on a daily basis.  How much business are you getting from your non-social media community?  What if you could triple or quadruple that community?  How much more business would that mean for you?  THAT’s your ROI for social media marketing.

According to Michael, “Sole Proprieters were more likely than others to see benefits.”  So, if you are the main show in your business, it’s definitely worth it to be engaging in social media.

How much time do you need to spend in social media?

In as little at 6 hours a week, those surveyed have seen results.  Here are some of the findings:

“After only a few months and with as few as 6 hours a week, more than half of marketers have generated qualified leads with social media marketing.”

“61.83% of people who have only invested a few months in their social media marketing report new partnerships were gained.”

Again, sole proprietors were more likely to see these results.

“Nearly all marketers spending 6+ hours a week on social media marketing found exceptionally positive results.”

So, at 6 hours or less, you’ll see some results.  If you spend more than 6 hours a week, you’ll see exceptional results.  That doesn’t mean you need to be spending that kind of time right off the bat!  Most experienced social media marketers do spend 16+ hours a week on social media marketing, but that doesn’t mean you have to!!  As you start seeing results, you’ll want to spend more time on the networks.  In starting at 6 hours, you can find which networks are brining the most results, so that when you ARE ready to add time to your efforts, you know where it will do the most good.

In conclusion:

If you haven’t jumped into social media yet, or you are wondering if you should do more of it, the answer is GO FOR IT!!  Many businesses are out there gaining profitable connections every day.  This report proves that social networking is worth the time.  So, jump in, beef up and expand your business.

What do you think of these findings?  What questions do you have about social media marketing?  Let us know and we can discuss it here.

I’ve had this discussion with several people lately, so I thought I’d put it out into blogland so others can read it…and, yes, I’m talking about social networking again.  What can I say?  I’m in love!

My clients are always asking me how to build their following on social networks.  It’s simple, really.  Friend more people.  The more people you friend, the more you’ll get people friending you.  Their next question is; How do I find people to friend?  I have two methods for this; Pro-active and re-active friending.

Let me define those terms for you.

Pro-Active Friending - Consciously making an effort to follow or friend people.  For example; searching on Facebook for specific keywords in order to find friends.

Re-Active Friending - Finding people to follow or friend unintentionally.  For example, getting a friend request and accepting it.

You see how they work now?  Anyone who is using social networking typically uses both methods when they get started.  It builds your network faster, to do both.  I’m at the point that it’s more than enough to keep up with the re-active friending.  My networks are building faster than I can keep up as it is.  So, pro-active friending isn’t a part of my process anymore.

If you are looking for some ways to do pro-active friending/following, I suggest you check out some of these resources.

FACEBOOK:

Search for people you already know - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/findfriends.php?ref=pf

Search by profile, keywords etc… - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/advanced.php

TWITTER:

Search for people you already know - http://twitter.com/invitations/find_on_twitter

Search by profile, keywords etc… - http://www.twellow.com

Soon Twitter will have a trending topics search (you may already have it on your profile, mine hasn’t switched over yet).  You can read more at:
http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/twitters-new-se.html

FYI - for those coaches who are at their wits end keeping up with social networking, I will be releasing a solution later this week.  Here’s a sneak peak - http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com/snfreedom.html

If you have questions, other resources or just want to say something about this post, please leave a comment.  We’d love to hear from you.

My colleague (and project management resource queen), Kim Beasley, has inspired me to write about building a team using social networks. Kim (http://twitter.com/kimbeasley) asked her Twitter Network about their experience using social networks to build their virtual teams.  Of course, I jumped right in, as I’ve built my team MOSTLY through social networks.

As a virtual business owner it’s important to bring in team members that I can relate to, work with, and who ALSO have the required skills.  Social networks allow me to find out a lot of information before I even interview the candidate.  Here’s the deal!  Social networks are “social.”  So, I get to know who a potential team member is, as a person, before I approach them.  I listen carefully to what they say on social networks.  If I agree with their advice to others, I know that we have a lot in common.  I also learn about their skill sets.  You see how this is a valuable place?

There comes a point in every coaching business where you need some help with the backend work of your business.  As your business grows and changes, there’s a second level where you need more advanced help in your business.  It’s no longer just about the skill level of your team.  It’s also about how much responsibility your team is willing to own.  It’s about whether they can take initiative and do things without asking. Many will turn to fellow coaches for referrals, which is a great place to start.  Even if you have a referral, it’s good to do your own legwork, because what works for one coach may not work for another (I’ve seen that mistake all too often in the coaching industry…it’s killer on the pocket book).  So, I suggest you get on your social networks and start doing your research.

Relying on social networks to learn about your potential team member can answer your questions.  If this candidate is answering advanced questions about simple topics then you have a pretty good clue that they know the skills.  Then listen for the moments when they start talking about overall business concepts…do you agree?  Are you connecting with this person?  Ask some very pointed questions of this candidate through the networks.  USE your social networks to screen your team BEFORE you get them on the phone.  It’ll make that interview process a lot simpler and you’ll know by the end of the call whether you want to hire that person or not.

Kim asked her Twitter network 8 questions and has created a whole blog series around those answers, so I suggest you also read her blog posts to gather more information about building and managing your virtual team.  Start with the first one at http://www.projectmanagement411.com/using-social-media-to-build-your-virtual-project-management-team-part-1/.

What are your thoughts on social networks and team building?  Do you have any questions?  I’d love to hear form you.