Leveraging Social Media to Grow Your Business[1]

Creating a great front door… that links Your website… links to youtube, and that makes you “googleable”!

You need to be a fan, a friend, and a fool to market yourself today.

Your front door is your website!

Leveraging social media…

After you sign up for a facebook account…

Target Your Profile

Go to Settings and their you have a ton of choices to make about your account. You will deal with settings, networks to join… you will need a valid email to join a network…mobile… i.e whether or not you want to receive sms texts to your phone. … language settings, and payment settings for buy adds and sending gifts. Once you have finished this you will have made the choices about who will see your information. I suggest that you make yourself as public as you can.

Creating Groups

“Thou shall not bore, and thou shall not offend”

Go to the Info tab…

Click on my groups or groups tab.

Click on create a new group tab.

Now you can create a group with your company name if you wish or group that is relative to what your company does. However, Holzner suggests that you create a business Page instead of a group. Groups are for discussion and entertainment and information. Pages provide general information for and about your business and what you do.

You will want to search groups to see if your group name exists already before you create it. I have thought about creating a group called… I love Jesus, but I hate Christians. This group would be a lot of fun for discussion and sharing my faith.

You will have to decide…

Name

Network

Type of Group

Office

Email

Address if desired

Click the create button to create your group.

Invite friends to join your group.

You will want to manage your group as you go.

Creating Pages

Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php in your browser. You will have to be signed in first.

Once you are there follow the prompts. Choose your category (new business… etc. and create a new page)

Now you can begin to build your new page. Click on the Edit my page and follow the prompts.

Settings, Wall settings, Moblie, Applications such as discussion boards, events, links, notes, photos, video, and any other applications you wish to create.

Now once you have created and edited your page you can link it to twitter and other social media sites to tie yourself to the front door of your website.

Hosting your own Facebook Events…

Once you have a group or page you can create events that each host.

You go to manage your group and create an event. The event links people to your front door. Now the thing about events is that they have to fit with what you are doing or they will be viewed as spam.

Go to your wall… Click on the calendar icon and create an event that others can come to. Now for the chamber you could create your event and have it hit all your fans, friends, and their fans and friends. Then people sign up for the event as to whether or not they are attending.

Follow the prompts.

Links. Use the links for on your page as administrator to give people greater information on what you do.

You can also link your facebook page with a little work to videos… nothing over 2 minutes is acceptable so keep that in mind.

Play with the applications

Down on the left hand side of the page at the very bottom there is an applications button. When you click on a who list of applications will come up for you to pursue.

Some of note are marketplace, polls, gift, links, and notes. You can also use the “browse more applications” button at the bottom to research greater possibilities for networking yourself with your social contacts.

Practice developing your advertisement

Go to your profile click on it. Go to info click on it. On the right hand side there will be a “create and ad” button click on it and follow the prompts. This is a great tool if you have a marketing budget that allows you use it.

You begin by creating a short tag line and marketing campaign. Just follow the prompts. What is so great about this application is that it allows you to target your audience. For example our audience is 25-45 single, married, with children living in the south shore of Hillsborough County. Our add just says, “Come as you are!” Just follow the prompts. When you get to the end you choose how you are going to pay. You can pay by the click or by the thousand. You designate how long the add will run and how much a day you have to spend.

Links

I believe the key to making this work is a great web page to send people to. I want to encourage you to send people to your website, and to make everything that you put into print, handout, be an arrow to your front door.

A well done video on what you do is a must today. We are media savy people and we know when something is done well.

Go to the applications button.

Go to the links button.

Add the websites, blogs, and youtube links that you have to your facebook page. Here you can actually learn how to share your links and videos with others.

Round Table:

I want you to spend some time being foolish by creating a great group for your business.

Take the next couple of minutes discuss the importance of media to your business. What is your next step in leveraging media to grow your business?

[1] Facebook Marketing; Steve Holzner: Que Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

10 Fundamentals 4 Leading A Business!
Purpose: We have a purpose as people, and businesses should have a purpose as well. My friends’ business downtown is called Diversicom and their purpose is to “Beat your technology into submission.” The sole reason for their business is to provide you with technology systems for your business that you do not need to worry about. I am the Pastor of the View Church and we have a purpose statement as well. We exist to make fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. What is your purpose? Your purpose is not a vision, but rather a statement of why you exist. Your purpose should be written out. It should be made known to every employee, customer, and potential customer.

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” William Shedd[1]
“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?” Ben Franklin[2]

Culture: What will be the values and principles that create the way you do business? I did a series of lessons over a year ago based on the book, “The Starbucks Experience”. It was a book about culture of Starbucks as a company. Starbucks is not a franchised business as of yet. Starbucks is famous for more than coffee. They sell music, they sell an atmosphere that is the “third place” in a community, and they sell coffee. Every employee gets stock in the company, and every employee is trained to be a “barista”. That is the person who makes the coffee. There is a little book that they keep in their apron called the green apron book that instructs them on a number of things. For many of us the most French we have learned in the last couple years has to do with the size of our coffee cup from Starbucks. Starbucks has done a lot of work on creating a culture for the customer and the employee so that they will sell a lot of coffee. It’s the Starbuck’s way!

Starbucks coffee cups used to come with a spiritual life lesson on them.
Starbucks coffee was the first to use recycled coffee cup holders.
Starbucks is a hangout for generation x, y, and mosaics.

“Important principles may and must be inflexible.” Abraham Lincoln[3]
“Live one day at a time emphasizing ethics rather than rules.” Wayne Dyer[4]

Niche: What is yours? A niche is a segment or small area of business specialization. The use of the word 'niche' was popularized by the 19th century expression 'a niche in the temple of fame' which referred to the Pantheon, originally a church in Paris (not the Pantheon in Rome). It was built 1754-80 and converted in 1791 to hold the remains of famous Frenchmen; a 'niche' was a small alcove containing a monument to a person's name and deeds. The French word 'niches' means 'to make a nest'.[5] What does your company do that no other company can do as well as you? Dunkin Donuts is a “niche” franchise opportunity. How many other fast food donut places can you name that are still competing with DD’s. What is your name and what are the deeds that you do? That is your niche for your company. If you cut grass what is your niche in grass cutting?

Systems: You are going to have to put the systems in place to deliver your product and serve your customers!

There are 4 areas in every business that require a system. Most businesses that are large have the following leaders in place to manage their company and to help the company meet its goals and keep its market share. The first is the CEO. The second is the CFO. The third is the COO, and finally PHR. President of Human Resources… each is responsible for a system that is a part of an overall strategy and business plan. Organizations prosper by achieving strategy that is implemented as a result of continuous decision-making at all levels of the company. Firms implement strategy through balancing the four major (systems) factors or perspectives:

1. Financial perspective – CFO & CEO
(The Biggest mistake Start-Up’s make is not paying themselves a salary.)
2. Customer perspective – PHR & COO
(The second biggest mistake is not thinking about how growth will affect your target audience and staff.)
3. Internal business process perspective – COO, CFO, & CEO
(The third biggest mistake is when the CEO is working in the business instead of on the business.)
4. Learning, innovation, and growth perspective. CEO & PHR
(The fourth mistake we make is to fail to provide the necessary tools and training for our staffing and employees to accomplish their job.)
The four perspectives permit a balance between short-term and long-term objectives, between outcomes desired and the performance drivers of those outcomes, and between hard objective measures and soft subjective measures.[6] In most entrepreneurially business start-ups the owner is all four and may have no understanding of the need for the other three.

Integrity: You are reliable, trustworthy, and knowledgeable about what you are doing! You are the expert when you are called. You are not just trying to do a task to do it, but you do it well. You are reliable and can be trusted.
Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught. ~J.C. Watts[7] I love what Archie Carroll said about how in business integrity is being lost. As religion and faith are being driven out of the public square, the Judeo-Christian ethical foundations that have sustained our country since its beginning, are being lost and are being replaced with a humanistic amorality, a self-centered, pragmatic indifference that will ensure that our moral compasses will fail to point us in the right direction in the future."— Archie B. Carroll Professor of Management, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia[8]
In WWII the 9th infantry division was given the name “Old Reliable’s” by General Huebren V Company. At that time the 39th regiment was being led by Colonel Harry “Paddy” Flint. He created a slogan and sprayed painted it on every jeep and helmet of his regiment. It was the triple AAA-0 long. It represented his creed for this regiment; “Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Bar nothing!” Flint was good friends with General Patton who once described him as crazy but a great fighter. He was killed in battle riding out front of his regiment as they were besieging a city in Germany. He was heard shouting “Come on boys these guys can’t shoot worth a darn.” This is not a direct quote as the language has been changed to protect the innocent. Integrity has everything to do with you being available as a business to your target audience and customers when they need anything, anywhere, and anytime. Building a business that meets those three criteria will give you integrity.

Target Audience: What does your target look like? Who is your target? Riverview Rick and Renee… have not been to church since they were children. They don’t like dressing up necessarily… Love football, block parties and graduated from College or are a business, educational professional. They have young children and want them to learn about God and Jesus. They want a quick hitting sexy service where they can slip in and slip out.

Without a target you will surely hit it.

1. Who is your target audience?2. Where is your target audience located?3. What is the age range and median age?4. Is the group primarily male or female?5. What do they do for a living?6. What level of education do they have?7. How do they spend their extra cash?8. Are they married, single, or divorced?9. Do they have children? What ages?10. What kind of lifestyle do they lead?11. What are their attitudes and beliefs?12. Are they urban dwellers or suburbanites?13. What are their special interests or hobbies?14. What is their income range?[9]

Conversion! What process do we use to follow up and assimilate our customers? Do you have a monthly news letter or communication device? How are you gathering information and reconnecting with past customers and present customers? A monthly html. Weekly communication device… Are we obtaining and retaining customers? How many customers are you converting to your company?

Media Presence & Marketing: Are we leveraging the online media to the maxim? Your website is now your front door. How does your front door look? Online network websites are now a simple way to get leads. Do you have a Youtube video, Blog, or other e-connection. Twitter, facebook, Linkedn, and other resources are now available for you to network you business with other business professionals.

Your ability to leverage the web and technology is now a perception of integrity. In other words if your front door is your website and it is poorly done you will lose customers.

Goals: Have we set smart goals for growth?

S = SpecificM = MeasurableA = AttainableR = RealisticT = Timely[10]

My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win outRonald Reagan[11]

Evangelism: You are the Corporate Evangelist for your company. You are the first convert and you have the “Gospel” of your business. What is your gospel? Who are your evangelists?

The Gospel is a portion of scripture in 1 Corinthians 15. (Paraphrased) For we passed on to you what was entrusted to us… namely, that Jesus was crucified for our sins, and buried, and on the third he was raised from the dead. He was seen by the disciples and by 500 or more witnesses and then he ascended on the Mount of Olives.

Since this point it has become a part of our culture to say that something is “Gospel Truth”. The Gospel has three simple parts that define it. Crucifixion, Burial, and Resurrection and it culture the word became synonymous with truth. What is true of your company? What is the Gospel of your company? You are the evangelist for your company.

Customer Evangelism…
* Spreads the word* Recruits new customers* Helps you improve products and services* Defends you* Supports you[12] (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/051205/5eeevangelist.htm)
See the foot note for how to create evangelists for your business. (http://customerevangelists.typepad.com/blog/2005/11/corporate_evang.html)

Round Table:
Pick a business at your table and work out one fundamental for the business you chose. Pick a spokes person to present what you have done. Create a gospel… Three words for your business vision!

Please checkout the following websites for greater information.

[1] http://thinkexist.com/quotations/Principles/ July 28, 2009; 10:05
[2] Ibid. 1.
[3] Ibid. 1.
[4] Ibid. 1.
[5] http://www.businessballs.com/clichesorigins.htm/ July 28, 2009; 10:35
[6]http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/bizsys_main.html, July 29, 2009; 5:07 PM
[7] http://www.quotegarden.com/integrity.html/ July 29, 2009; 5:11PM
[8] http://www.leadershipnow.com/integrityquotes.html/ July 29, 2009; 5:14 PM
[9] http://www.ehow.com/how_5084025_define-target-audience.html/ July 29, 2009; 10:57 PM
[10] http://goal-setting-guide.com/smart-goal-setting.html; July 30, 2009; 8:02 PM
[11] Ibid. 10.
[12] http://customerevangelists.typepad.com/blog/files/CreatingCustomerEvangelists.pdf

Hit the Refresh Button

Hit the Refresh Button

“Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives; they’re like spring rain and sunshine.”[1]

“That was easy!” Staples
Do you remember the “Easy” button created as an advertisement by [2] STAPLES? They wanted to invigorate or refresh the business community by giving them something that would be easy. Bring your documents, your needs, all your offices logistics to Staples and they would make life “easy” for you. Coming to staples was like pushing the “easy” button. Life in your office could be refreshed by simply pushing the “easy” button. Leaders invigorate because they give people the “easy” button. They make themselves easy to please. They are cheerful, they are generous, they are courteous, and they are expectant. I did not say that leaders are “easy” on their followers. I said they make it easy to follow them.

Cheerfulness

Good tempered leaders are cheerful. Ronald Reagan was such a leader. He was always smiling. He was so inspiring to listen to. He was even cheerful after he was shot. It was soon reported that before he was put under to remove the bullet by surgeons that he quipped, “I hope you’re all Republicans.”[3] Ask yourself why this little quote was let out. It was deliberate. He was trying to invigorate the country with hope about his situation and our situation in our country.
Winston Churchill gave this cheerful quote when he was Prime Minister of England. He said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” –Winston Churchill[4] I want to encourage you to hit the refresh button on your office, on your family, and on your situation. Cheerfulness is a choice. Cheerfulness is so essential a whole group is made available by every NFL team, every NBA team, every college and university, high school and even most parks have their own cheer leaders to invigorate their followers. In your business you are the most important cheer leader! Get in there with your team and be the cheer leader they need. It will refresh them.

“So of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more it remains.” Ralph Waldo Emerson[5]

Generosity

“As the sword of the best tempered metal is most flexible, so the truly generous are most pliant and courteous in their behavior to their inferiors” Thomas Fuller[6]

What does it mean to be generous in the work place as a leader? I think it means being available. I think it means living out what you are asking your team to do. In the real world of leading people the old axis of hierarchy is dying. The importance of a leadership chart is diminishing. Those that lead recognize that every job is significant and that every team member is significant. The chart is now upside down. At the top is the team. At the bottom is the leader. Leaders who invigorate are generous with their time and value relationships as much as they value results. In the book the 5 dysfunctions of Team this is one of the most devastating things that can happen, to have a leader value results more than relationships. Generosity is about what you can give to the team and not about what you can get accomplished with the team. Check out this quote by Orison Swett Marden, he said.

“We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.”[7]

Leaders who are generous with their teams invigorate the work place creating a dynamic synergy that is highly productive.

Courteousness

Courtesy is all about how we respond to those who we have authority over and to those who have authority over us. There is a huge importance to having a code for the way we talk in the office and about our homes. It is also significant not to make too light of how we dress and our appearance in these venues. It is a matter of respect. Paul told the church to watch how they treated those who were slaves who had come to Christ because there were no distinctions in heaven and that they too had a boss, Jesus. I think manners are refreshing. Having the proper response to someone in authority, and responding politely to those who are under your authority are essential for creating a work place, a home, and a life that are refreshing.
I love to take my children out to eat. One rule is always on when we are eating out. When you address our waiter you must be polite and use the words, “May I, Please, and thank you.” It is polite to call the waiter by name if you can remember it and to thank them for their service. I have found that waiters love to wait on our table. I have found that they generally compliment us on how well mannered my wife’s children behave. The reason for this is that it is refreshing to wait on people who value you and demonstrate that value with courteous words and actions. One final action for courteous behavior while out. Leave a good tip! Here’s a tip for you. Courteousness in the business world is being lost why not be a refreshing breath of freshness by bringing it back.
Courteous behavior starts with the leader. Leaders who value relationships and results understand the importance of their words and their actions. Do the simple things like help someone who asks. Be available. Keep private issues private. Be friendly and use the magic words yourself. You know them. They are “Please and thank you”!

Expectant

Leaders who are good tempered are expectant while being generous, courteous, and cheerful. I didn’t say they were a pushover. There is no I in team, but there is in win. When the leader puts others first, the team rallies to produce in incredible ways. Have faith in these values. Leaders believe in the values they practice. What are your expectations of those that you work for if you are depressing, demanding, and disrespecting those who are on your team? Who wants to work hard in that environment?
Every computer browser has a refresh button. It usually has two arrows going in a circle but opposite directions. I have noticed that when your browser page becomes ineffective you can refresh the page and suddenly it is ready and willing to do what you are asking it. If as leader’s we will be cheerful, generous, courteous, and expectant of the values we are leading with it is like hitting the refresh button.

“...Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”[8]

Discussion:

How has your attitude been toward your team this week?
What are some ways you are cheering on your team?
How as a leader can you be more generous to your team?
What role does courteousness play in your work place, home, and life?
How do you hold each other accountable for courteous behavior?
Do you expect that practicing these values will produce a productive workplace, home and life? Explain?


[1]NLT, Proverbs 16:15
[2] Kenpardue.com/ February 5, 2009; 10:40 AM
[3] http://politicalhumor.about.com/cs/quotethis/a/reaganquotes.htm/ February 5,2009; 10:55 AM
[4] http://hubpages.com/hub/Motivation-quotes/ February 5, 2009; 11 AM
[5] http://thinkexist.com/search/searchquotation.asp?search=good+tempered+/ February 5, 2009; 10:25 AM
[6] Ibid 2. February 5, 2009; 10:27 AM
[7] http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/generous/ February 5, 2009; 2:55 PM
[8] NLT, Proverbs 11:25

Find Obi Wan Kenobi & then Yoda!

Find Obi Wan Kenobi & then Yoda!

Become wise by walking with the wise… Solomon [1]

A good rule in leading is to find someone who has walked where you are walking that can teach what you don’t know already. Business, life, family, these require mentors and models we can follow. I don’t know how well you know the Star Wars movies, but this one principle is all over the series. No one becomes a successful Jedi without being mentored by a Jedi master. It is assumed that you need to learn to use the force. You have to grasp how to let it work through you. You need a master!
Solomon’s statement is about desire. Do you desire to become wise? Are you longing for a greater ability to understand the business world, life, and family? Solomon’s statement is also a promise. It is guaranteed that you will become wise if you walk with the wise. Please note, it does not say if you talk with the wise. Having coffee, or eating lunch may help you but it will not train you or change you. It says if you walk with the wise you become wise. Your journey must change direction to go with another. You have to give up going the way you wish to walk with someone who is wise. You need a master or two!
Obi Wan Kenobi - Luke’s first master was a man hiding in a cave. Luke seems to be destined to find Obi Wan Kenobi. Obi Wan Kenobi immediately recognizes the force in Luke. At that moment begins the journey of Luke Walker, a young man being mentored by a Jedi Master in the art of using the force for good, and not for the dark side. His first master appeared when Luke was ready but not before.

“When the student is ready the Master will appear” unknown

I want to challenge you to look around for a mentor for your life. You will be surprised at both who and when they appear. The wise are always looking for others who want to join them in their journey. The wise don’t always look like you think they will look. Don’t let appearance play any role in your quest for a mentor you look to learn from. Obi Wan Kenobi was old looking, appeared weak, and past his prime. Do you remember the scene where Luke goes to the Degaba System and finds a little green colored creature? Luke doesn’t know who this little creature is and asks if the creature can help him find Yoda a Jedi master. Of all the Jedi in Star Wars no one is a greater warrior than Yoda, yet his appearance was nothing like we imagine a great warrior to be. Look around and see if you can spot your Yoda?

“Successful people turn everyone who can help them into sometime mentors!”[2]John Crosby

Three wise people you should have in your life.

1. Jesus
No other life has so impacted the lives of so many. He is deemed a simple carpenter, rabbi, and leader of the Christian movement. His life and how he touched and impacted people is a model for all of us to follow. To some, he is a prophet, their Savior, and to others he is viewed as being insane. Regardless of how you view his life, he is an available mentor as to loving and serving others. His life is full of examples we can follow. His greatest impact was on how he changed the culture of the world he lived in. 400 years after his death the world became Christian.
2. Coach
There is no greater a resource than a man or woman who knows how to do what you desire to do. Early on in my life I coached college basketball for about 3 years, and then at other lower levels for several years as well. I had the joy of meeting Rick Patino, Billy Donovan, Pistol Pat, John Crotty, Goose Givens, and few other guys who were pretty knowledgeable about basketball. One of the guys we ran a basketball camp with was Octavio Delagrana. “Coach D” is presently the advance scout and player development coach for the Miami Heat. I love coaching basketball, but I hated the travel. I learned more in the hours I spent playing and coaching with these guys than I can tell you. I wanted to coach and being around those guys prepared me to coach the kids that I was entrusted. None of these guys other than Goose Givens looks like an NBA player. Your second mentor if you are in business should be a CEO, or a group of CEO’s that will make themselves available to you. If you can’t afford to be in a group pay for lunch to be with a mentor who is willing. I spent a whole year with a pastor from a larger ministry and then three years with a coach and mentor who knew how to church plant. Now I am going to be coaching guys to do those things. I recently took on the job of coaching little league baseball and I am looking for guys that know more than me to help me learn and to help the boys learn.
3. Student
A chord of three strands is not easily broken. If you take three ropes and weave them together you get a powerful chord that will not easily break. Today using microfibers they have developed these tow ropes made of plastic than can pull up to 2 to 3 tons. They are made of plastic. Jesus, wise guy, and someone who you can teach what you are learning make three. I have discovered the power of teaching someone to do what I’m doing makes me better at applying what I am learning from my mentors. Having others with you seeking wisdom, seeking to apply the example of Jesus, and having a mentor or coach make you strong.

“Teach yourself and you have a fool for a master” unknown[3]

Discussion:
Who are you learning from right now? What are you reading? Who are you teaching and leading? How are you passing on your wisdom to others? How available are you for others to walk with you? What role does Jesus have in your life?
[1] NLT, Proverbs 13:20
[2] http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/mentor/ January 28, 2009; 12:20 PM
[3] http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/master/ January 28, 2009; 12:45 PM