That’s right.  I’m going to do a shout-out.  Yeah, it’ll be a tad bit personal…in a rather public way.  Hopefully, I don’t miss or embarrass anybody…

Social Media Peeps

• I’m super grateful for somehow ending up on Patrick Giammarco’s (@pwgiammarco) short list for the Toledo Social Media Breakfast.  He apparently had no idea how crazy I really am.  You have a heart of gold, Patrick.  Thank you!
• Many thanks for the other members of SMB Toledo for putting up with some inexperienced geekiness.  I’m so grateful for being able to mooch off your years of experience as business-owners.
• I’m grateful for Mark Pannell (@7son75) – Mr. Awesomesauce himself, whose excitement for social media is contagious.  You rock!
• And without Mark I would have never met Gene Powell (@gpowelldesign).  I have no words to describe Gene.  When I get off the phone with him, I feel BLESSED!  And smarter.  He’s way deeper than he looks…even with the cowboy hat.
• I’m thankful for Kelly Benston (@KMBReferee) and our sleep-deprived chats. You make me laugh.  And you put me on the map for being one of the few people who know a black conservative male with a girl’s name.

Christ-followers

Now for the peeps without Twitter handles who may or may not even see this blog post (My next blog post will be on social media/brand monitoring…  Just kidding!).

• I thank God for reconnecting me with the intense Joe Liggett.  You and your Bible study was an answer to prayer, brother. You don’t even know!  FIGHT!
• I’m grateful for Joe’s Bible study group – the gang at ember.  I wanted to meet real men and women of God, and see what Christ’s church really looked like and I found it in you, my brothers and sisters.  Never conform to the status quo. Never.
• More thanks still to God for the talented Carrie Jo Arndt.  Thanks for helping me through some confusing times by just being YOU.
• I’m grateful for my friendship with Charles Satchwell.  I’m glad we stuck it out so long without killing each other.  I’m proud of your growth and the milestones in your life.  Stick wit it.
• And finally I’m grateful for Carlos Parraz who came along on my last church discovery journey.  I’ll tell him about this blog and he’ll come out here and post something silly.  Watch.

Of course I’m grateful for my family and the people not mentioned in this post by name.  There are so many more.  I’m so thankful to God because it is His plans and purposes in my life that I see little by little being revealed in and through the people He has placed in my journey.  The fact that I can say that is, in and of itself, a miracle.  And for that, I am grateful.

* * HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! * *

LinkedIn continues to add applications to its social platform to make it more valuable to business owners.  I like LinkedIn because it’s practical and professional.  There are enough social networks where you can post goofy pictures, engage in virtual pillow fights and take hits out on another mafia family.  LinkedIn takes a break from the party scene to get some work done.

Crafted like an online CRM system, you can find your contacts with their contact information, send them email and refer them to others in your network.

LinkedIn allows you to recommend people – even in answers to questions others may post online.  So if someone needs help in a certain area and post that in the Questions and Answers area, your friend or satisfied client can suggest you as an expert for advice – even if you never saw the question.  There is also an easy referral link right on your profile:

It takes you to the email function, where an introduction can be made on the part of the referrer:

If networking is good for your business in any remote form (and I can’t think of one business where networking is not critical to it’s success), then you need to be on LinkedIn.  Not only is it a good place to build your professional network, but to build a reputation as an expert, get recommendations and referrals, and give some in return.

*If you need help setting up your LinkedIn profile or finding out how you can optimize your profile to reap it’s benefits, send an email to me at diva [at] janeile [.] com.

The mantra of the day is about being a resource, listening, preferring someone else above yourself and helping each other out – including some that can be considered “competition”.

The mean kids on the playground are those that don’t want to share their toys.  They think open source is evil, anything without their logo is inferior, and look at partnerships as a position of weakness.  Curling up in the corner alone with your toy makes for a very boring play date.  The others will move on and have fun…with their own toys.  If you run into someone in social media who is always tooting their own horn, quick to bring out the “expert” title, and feeling the need to always dis their competitors run, Forrest, run.

It’s a great trend to have been renewed and become popular – especially for the business world, where everything has been built on the money-making factor.  Now we make friends, followers and networks, and we’ve gone from slick, gimmicky commercials designed to separate people from their money to loyalty-building programs and reputation management, which in the end, will bring the same (if not better) dollar result.

Look for ways to do more sharing in your business – even if its off-line.  Free eBooks, tips, service, widgets, webinars, surveys or whatever – just do it!  Promote others over yourself.  Don’t make negative comments about your competitors.  Be open to listening and learning new things from those in your industry and even those that aren’t.  And when you do, pass it on to others who may also find the information valuable.

Those that share will end up with friends and loyal customers; those that don’t will end up playing alone.

First let’s establish the fact that the knowledge we have comes from God.  John 1:3 says that “All things were made through Him [God], and without Him nothing was made that was made.”  So everything that has ever been made – automobiles, computers and even the nuclear bomb – was because of the God-given capacity for man to crunch complicated, mathematical formulas, tinker with engines, and create logically.  Social media is simply another result of that gift God placed in man to dream and create.  It is here NOW for a reason.

Social media is nothing more than a new communication tool.  Like radio, TV and satellite, social media is a new way to spread the Gospel.  Just like TV is not the sole marketing channel for a business, neither is it for the Church.  We need to be open to different communication channels to reach a different (or more of an) audience.  Consider these statistics regarding the reach on social networks:

• Globally, 1 in every 11 minutes are spent on a social network or blog (PCmag.com 03/09)
• Facebook has over 300 million active users (Facebook stats page at the time of writing)
• In July 2009, YouTube had 85.1 million U.S. visitors (Mashable 8/10/09)

If you’re in business and still clinging to the traditional forms of marketing to tackle the new economy in which we find ourselves, you’re looking for some near-death experiences, if not total suicide, in business.  The same is for the Church.  “Old fashion” religion still has it’s place, but if you’re not willing to tap into new tools to keep up with a changing culture, extinction might be where you’re headed.

As the gun owners like to say “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.”  While social media is not a greased slide into hell, it could be depending on what you do there.  Watching movies were once thought to be a sinful activity.  Today, showing the Jesus Film wins someone, somewhere in the world, to Christ every 4 seconds.  According to their website, that’s almost 7.8 million people a year!  Now consider the impact a film like that can have for those interacting on a social network.

With social media, you can literally now “go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) right from your home computer.  So stop whining about the cultural shifts and the negatives that come along with it, and get busy with the Great Commission.

Frequency

If most people are like me, they are getting tons of email already – some spam, some not spam.  If we sign up for your sale previews, newsletter or whatever, please don’t abuse me by sending me email every other day.  Honestly, I think once a week is as frequent as you can get before getting REALLY annoying.  Even if I wanted your email, I’d unsubscribe if it overloaded my inbox.

The Opt-in

Give full disclosure at the email opt-in.  No “uncheck-if-you-DONT-want-spam-from-our-3rd-party-partners”or other fine print.  Assume that I don’t want it and give me the option to check it if I do.  Outline email frequency so I’m not overwhelmed if your email campaign is nicknamed “Shock and Awe” at the office.

If you have more than one email campaign, don’t add me to ones I didn’t subscribe to. A nice feature that I have seen is giving those that subscribe the ability to modify their subscription.  That way, if they are signed up for three email campaigns and want to unsubscribe from two, they can do so without unsubscribing from all and then having to sign up again for the one.

CAN-SPAM adherence

Now, most people won’t catch this, but after working for an email marketing company, I have a heightened sensitivity to the issue.  According to the CAN-SPAM Act, there are some items your email campaign is required to have.  A few of the important ones are:

1. Don’t use misleading header information.  That means your business or identity needs to be identifiable in the “To”, “From” and “Reply-To”.  Social media is about transparency anyway – if you’re hiding, there’s a big chance you’re a spammer.
2. Use a descriptive Subject line to describe your email.  Don’t lie to get people to open your email.
3. Your address needs to be on there somewhere and I’m not talking about an email or website.
4. Give me the opportunity to opt-out and do it in a clear way.  Nothing is more annoying than opt-out instructions listed waaaaay down on an email in font size 2.  You do more harm to your brand trying to keep a subscriber with hidden or complicated opt-outs than if you just let them opt-out. I’m on Chris Brogan’s newsletter list and he’ll casually say even in the email that if the newsletter is just not your thing, its o.k. to unsubscribe.  I doubt too many people take him up on the offer.  Now you don’t have to encourage people to unsubscribe, but if you’re open and free about it, you’ll look better than if you’re reluctant about it.

These are just a few of the blatant email marketing mistakes I still see in my inbox or junk mail.  If you want to do it right, try to avoid these and you’ll stand out from the pack.

Length

I still get the amazingly long email newsletter.  You know the kind.  The one with article after article listed one below the other so you’re scrolling…and scrolling…and scrolling just to read the thing.  News flash.  While you may think your newsletter is filled with valuable information, the value decreases in direct proportion with the length.  Why?  Because the length decreases the opportunities for the newsletter to actually be read completely.  If you absolutely have to have a mile-long newsletter, put a hyperlinked table of contents at the top where people can get to what they want easily without having to go through the entire mess.

Text versus HTML

There is an ongoing battle online between those that think HTML email is how satan communicates and those that think it is a magic bullet.  I can understand the text argument.  Really.  No hassles with coding, compatibility or the “fluff” to distract from the message.  While that might work for a tech audience, it probably won’t fly for everyone else.  I don’t know about you, but text newsletters are boring.   Nothing stands out.  I’m not inspired to read, click or do anything else but ignore it until I finally delete it from my inbox.

Here it boils down to your audience and what you are trying to accomplish.  If you’re looking for click-throughs or some sort of engagement with your audience, you ought to go with HTML.  However, this is not something you do yourself unless you are experienced in this area.  I suggest going with a company that has templates or can create a customized one for you.  Their designers are usually on top of all the design specs needed to have it render properly.

Broken Templates

While were discussing HTML email, let me drop a quick note about “breaking” your template. Email templates are usually built with fixed widths so that there is no vertical scrolling for smaller monitors.  Countless times I’ve seen the sender drop photos or graphics into their email that “breaks” the template causing it to not line up properly.  This looks sloppy and  unprofessional.  Re-size your graphics so that it fits neatly into the template without stretching the borders.

***

I could go on, but I’m going to leave the rest for another post.  In part 2, we’ll explore some other common mistakes in email marketing like opt-ins and links.

According to some, if the “so-called” social media professional wasn’t one of the first people using Twitter or some other social network (or forum) then they were merely followers who are riding on the coattails of the real pioneers and visionaries, the people who knew, just knew, all along that social media was going to be big business some day.  They usually then add a smug line about how they invented the Internet or was online when computers still communicated with tin cans and a string.  While I can sort of understand why they would give this warning, it is still an unfair assessment to make.

There are many reasons why someone may not have been an early adopter to social media.  Here are three just to name a few.

Sphere of influence
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t know, participate in or value social media that helps in delaying your start in the game.  Personally, my sphere and social media education only increased AFTER I joined a social network.  There was never any offline encouragement, discussion or awareness previous to that.

Ignorance
There are people still out there who think social media is just a way for bored people to follow the tales of their neighbor’s cat or be stalked by a sexual predator.  They don’t really know anything about it because they’ve never been on it (and face it, that’s the only way to actually “get it”) and they get their information about it from other people who are clueless.  When the knowledge comes by way of engagement or education, the light bulb will come on, and perhaps, awaken a desire to be involved professionally.

Physical limitations
While this is not so much an issue for current generations, computers and high speed Internet were things that were hard to come by.  Not everyone had one or the ability to spend countless hours blogging or chatting with people around the world.  When those opportunities finally did arise they were like lost treasures that were discovered.

The simple fact is that everyone has got to start somewhere.  No one tells an author to not write a book about, say, Twitter, because someone else already wrote a book about it when it first launched.  And it is certainly unfair to recommend that people not buy the book because it wasn’t one of the first Twitter books.  While I understand that no one wants to be the implied “unlucky first” client to the new consultant, you don’t have to be the 1st one out the gate to be successful in social media.

If you’re one of the unlucky ones who is not signed up for Chris Brogan’s newsletters, you’re missing out.  The other day I got one that closed with this:

The goal with this newsletter is to be useful to you. If you’re not finding value, JUST REPLY and tell me how I can help. My goal is to give you as much value in this behind-the-scenes view of me as you get from my blog and our book.

I’m writing to build a relationship and to deliver value. Please keep me posted if I’m failing ever on either one of these.

This is why Chris Brogan is a social media rock star.  He’s out to build a relationship with as many as possible.  He’s willing to tweak his content and/or presentation (while still being authentic) to meet the needs of his readers.  He’s not just blasting away whatever he wants and if you don’t like it, well, tough – unsubscribe.  How many newsletters do you get that continuously ask for your critiques?

Another way he gets it right is communication.  He does it himself and not just for the movers and shakers online, but for the “nobodies”.  If you reply to his newsletter via email, he’ll answer you back.   In another newsletter he mentions getting an average of 590 emails a day.  That’s a pretty big accomplishment to try and reply to everyone.  Anytime he replies to something I said to or about him on Twitter I’m still surprised.  It’s kind of creepy, but good business.

“Pompous windbag” doesn’t come to mind when you read his stuff or hear him speak because he’s humbled and appreciative of your attention no matter who you are.  When you understand that your readers, clients, end-users, etc are what help make you successful, there should be some sort of gratitude and love (can I use that phrase in a business setting?) shown back to them.  You can just look at some of our politicians to see what happens when they forget that key ingredient.

Call me a fan, brown-noser or even stalker if you will.  Chris Brogan is one of my favorite social media personalities.  I’m not saying he’s the only one who gets it right – just that he’s one of my top picks.  If you’re getting into social media, whether as an individual or business, I suggest you follow him on Twitter, check out his blog or subscribe to his newsletter to learn small ways you can get social media right too.

Takeaway: To get social media right you should understand that its about building relationships, tweaking your message to ensure you’re delivering value to your readers,  engaging in authentic communication and having humility.

That’s just a few concepts on getting social media right.  What are some that you admire (not just in Chris Brogan) or would include?

I said all that to say that if you’re a business person and you’re not on LinkedIn, its like forgetting your resume when going to the interview, or your business cards at a networking event.  No matter what industry you’re in or what position you have, you need to be on LinkedIn.

I like to tell people that LinkedIn is like an online resume.  But it is even more than that.  You can showcase your expertise through PowerPoint presentations and blog feeds, give and receive recommendations, network with others in your industry and make connections with decision-makers.

Now some may look at this article and declare it a “light” read – after all, everyone knows about LinkedIn.  That might be true, but it’s amazing how many business people still do not know about it, are avoiding it or have a profile that does more to harm their image than help it.

Shameless plug: If you want to know more or need help getting your LinkedIn profile up to speed, drop me a note at diva at janeile dot com.

I discovered Website Magazine back in 2008, but they’ve been around since 2005.  According to their website, their mission is “to reach the largest audience of website professionals with expert information that’s immediately useful for their success on the Internet.”  And that is exactly what they do in a jam-packed, high-quality, glossy magazine.

Website Magazine finds a nice balance between the non-techy and hard-core web professionals.  The magazine is chock full of useful articles and tidbits on blogging, affiliate marketing, ecommerce, SEO, social media and much more.  There is not a single magazine that I’ve received where I have not found something useful in it for me.  They are so great that I keep every one as a reference even though I KNOW I won’t touch them again (I’ll probably discover them in a box 20 years later and think “These GOT to be worth something!”).  I take that back.  I think I have gone back to them once or twice.

They have two subscription levels. The standard subscription is free (if you are in the U.S. or Canada) and you get one magazine each quarter (4 issues). The other is a professional subscription and you get one magazine a month (12 issues) for $44.95.

Still not convinced? Click on the image above to get a complimentary subscription to see if Website Magazine is all it proposes to be. I have been totally impressed and satisfied and would highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I’ve become an affiliate member for Website Magazine because I think their magazine is awesome.  Do I want you to click my links?  Sure.  But affiliate or not, it’s still a good investment.