Lately, I’ve been talking to some entrepreneurs in my group. Our discussion was mostly surrounding such topics as “Web 2.0” and “Social Media.” As a result, it has come to my attention that the majority of business owners in my group don’t use Web 2.0 tools as their main advertising vehicles. They simply couldn’t switch from the traditional bricks and mortar marketing channel, which is buying TV ads or placing ads in the magazine, etc.
I went deeper by asking them why they still stick to the old, inefficient way of doing business. Well, I have to say I am not surprised by the answer. Their response is unanimously the same, revealing the difficulties they have in adapting to the new media.
Being a social media junkie, and full-time blogger myself, I have successfully launched my blog (Wordpress platform) and my network (Meetup Platform) by implementing the innovative new media tools. Now my blog has got better rankings day by day, and the amount of members for my entrepreneur group has skyrocketed recently. Here I feel compelled to share my knowledge, the lessons I have learned to help those of you who are struggling with the usage of new media. Here we go, 8 simple techniques to help you become a successful ‘infopreneur’ (only 4 of the 8 will be covered in this post. To visit the last 4 techniques, click here).
1) Have Fun Doing What You Like
New Media is Fun!
In my opinion, most people like social media, to the degree that some of them are even additive to it. People like staying connected with their friends on Facebook, expanding their professional network on Linkedin, bookmarking their favorite sites to share with others. I bet you will find a significantly less amount of people today who would go the extra mile to find books in the library while they can just type away a couple words in Google or Wikipedia to find the desired answer.
Why does this happen? Pure and simple, Web 2.0 has made our lives much easier in terms of doing research, staying in touch with friends, or even working at home. So why shouldn’t we have fun doing it? A little learning curve may be involved. So what? It’s fun! A great attitude can carry you a long way regarding overcoming your reluctance to learn and implement new media tools in your own business.
2) Think like a Publisher
Release News with PRWeb!
The old TV industrial complex is becoming less and less efficient nowadays. Before the Web 2.0 era, ordinary people like you and me would have to hire an agency to do PR work, press releases, etc. Only through the help of an agency, our message can be delivered to reach our target market.
On the contrary, everything has changed today. The old, cumbersome, and multi-layered marketing system is no longer the concern for most of us. We now can reach our target market directly by using tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. We can form our own communities. In particular, PRWeb enables us to do press releases on a large scale all by ourselves with a reasonable budget. It costs no more than a few hundred dollars for a small business owner. Yes, we have become our own publishers. Therefore, we must think like a publisher.
The fact that it’s so cost-effective and easy to implement has become a huge incentive for us to adapt to the new media tools.
3) Keep Learning
Get Over the Learning Curve!
Still remember that old saying: “It’s not that people don’t know what they want; It’s simply because they don’t know what’s available.” Most people don’t have the drive and reason to learn about social media. We can’t blame them. The lack of proper education regarding how to apply and implement Web 2.0 tools has led to their inability to take immediate action. The longer they wait, the less motivation there is left.
Even today, I still hear this question – “what’s the ROI if I invest my time blogging about my business?” I wish we could quantify that. The other day, I witnessed an interesting debate on CNN about whether using Twitter is a waste of time. How do we answer those questions? Two words: “Keep Learning.”
Remember, in the Web 2.0 era, people will be hurt by what they do not know. Why do we tweet? For business people, we want to develop meaningful relationships with our customers before we earn their permission to sell. To nail it down, I have summarized a short list outlining critical information that you can use to keep the learning ball rolling.
a). Topic: Learn News and tips about Social Media, get to know cool people popular on Twitter and Facebook
Where: TechCrunch, Mashable, Dosh-Dosh, Shoemoney, Copyblogger
b). Topic: Sharpen your blogging skills
Where: problogger.com, Entrepreneurs-journey.com
c). Topic: stay updated with Google-realted news
Where: Google Weblog
d). Some recommended readings
Long Tail – Chris Anderson
New Rules of Marketing & PR – David Meerman Scott
What Would Google Do? – Jeff Jarvis
All the books written by Seth Godin
(Note: All books are available on Amazon.com)
4). Set Goals
Set Accurate Goals!
This may sound cliché but having a goal is absolutely critical for you to establish your credibility and authority on the web. The more goals you achieve, the more confidence you gain. As a result, you make a habit of blogging everyday, or tweeting everyday (Discipline+Goal=Success). So what does the goal translate into here? Here are just a couple thoughts:
a). Goal: Increase your blog’s Alexa ranking;
Tip: Go download the Alexa toolbar so you can monitor your blog’s traffic. Share your posts on Digg, Reddit, Twitter and other social bookmarking sites.
b). Goal: Learn how to use Twitter and start tweeting a few messages on a daily basis;
Tip: Go study Twitter 101 designed especially for Twitter new comers, start following people, and get followers. A good book to read in this area is Twitter Power by Joel Comm.
c). Goal: Increase your blog RSS subscribers;
Tip: Make sure you know what RSS is (Click here to learn), get feedburner, and then download WWSGD plugin to increase your subscribers. Content is always the king. Make sure you have excellent materials on your blog.
d). Goal: Get more members if you’ve started a Linkedin, Facebook, or Meetup group;
Tip: I have groups on all those three social networks. So far the Meetup group is the most successful one. Record the number of members enrolled in your group(s) everyday, and get feedback on how you can do better.
Note: You should set different goals for different new media tools you use. For demonstration purposes, we only listed four here.
This wraps up the first half of 8 Simple Techniques to Deal with Change in the Web 2.0 Era. We have covered four points in this post to help you make the transition. The second half is available. Click here to continue.
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