Radio Show Tips: Lisa Almeida shares tips on social networking strategy

Wendy recently interviewed Lisa Almeida, from PlanIt Production on our Blog Talk Radio show.  Here’s the low down on their conversation.

Wendy: We hear so much about Web 2.0 and social media these days.  For those who consider themselves technological novices, could you give us a simple overview of these things and what they mean?

Lisa: I like to demystfy the lingo for the “technically squeemish”.  “Web 2.0″ really means the difference between the old web, which was just static text, and the more interactive web we see today, which gives us the ability to share content, communicate and connect with others.

Wendy: So how does a business owner decide which social media tools they should use?

Lisa: I’d like to point them to “The Big Three”, which refers to LinkedIN.com, Facebook.com and Twitter.com.  To decide which to use, I like to outline the differences between these sites:

• LinkedIN is like going to a Chamber of Commerce event, where people are very professional, in suit and ties, and tend to stick to business.
• Facebook is more like going to the Company Picnic. There, you see people you work with, but it is a little more relaxed and personal. You may hear about people’s family, play games and go beyond the business conversation.
• Twitter is like going to Happy Hour, where everything moves fast, and you can jump in and out of conversations.

Wendy: Some big companies like Honda are showing their Facebook profiles in television ads. That speaks to the success of these marketing tools.

Lisa: This is a big indicator that these companies, which have huge marketing budgets have “rubber-stamped” this as a marketplace to connect with customers. It’s a good sign.

Wendy: How do I find the time to do this, when I have a business to run? The advice I hear ranges from daily to weekly.

Lisa: It is important to identify and develop your own strategy – what works for you and what works for your audience.  As a rule of thumb, I like to use the 80/20 rule.  Spend 80% of your time on quality content (what it is you want to communicate), and 20% on promotion. I have a system where I can teach how to successfully use these tools in less than an hour a week. As an example, when we promoted this show, I used a link to this show in my newsletter and Facebook profile.  In Twitter, I only have 140 characters, so I don’t want a long URL, so I want to shorten it.  One of the tools I like is “bit.ly”, which is a free account that helps me track it and see how many people clicked on this link.

Since these are free tools, we don’t spend money to promote here, so you really want to track your time and how you spend it, and what you’re getting for that time.

Wendy: I love that you keep us up on these trends and tools, Lisa.  And now let’s talk about the collaboration that we’re going to be offering in the coming weeks.

Lisa: Yes, I’m so excited about this, I’m vibrating in my chair!  We’ve been brainstorming and have come up with a suite of products for people interested in really moving their businesses forward. People are so busy – they need extra help in getting things done for them – not just learning about how to do it.  We’ll be offering a suite of “done for you” products – combining the best of the Sassy Ladies coaching offering with PlanIt Production’s Social Media offering.

Wendy: That’s a great teaser, and to find out more about this, go to www.TheSassyLadies.com, and submit a Contact Us form to get some free gifts, and be the first to hear about our collaboration.  We’ll send you a link to our 10 minute You Tube video, “How to Market Your Business on Social Networks.” and Lisa’s special report, “Why Successful Businesses Fail and How to Keep It From Happening to You.”

You can also find us on Twitter.  Lisa is at www.Twitter.com/PlanItWithLisa and I am at www.Twitter.com/SassyWendy.  We look forward to connecting with you soon, and to welcoming Lisa back on an upcoming show to discuss the latest developments in social media strategy!

Hear the full 30-minute show on Blog Talk Radio.

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