3 Keys to Business Success on Twitter and Facebook

I've had an account on Twitter and Facebook for a few months. While I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I have a pretty good idea about how you can increase your business through these Social Media websites.

These 3 success keys are the same ones that online entrepreneurs have used for years to grow their business. Here they are:

1) Get a reader's attention. It's difficult to do this if you only post once or twice a day - especially if someone follows a lot of people who have frequent daily posts - or if your posts aren't that compelling (especially in Twitter, where you're limited to 140 characters per post). That's why your posts must be like a good headline in a sales letter or on a website... and you should repeat the same interesting post several times a day.

It can address a business hot button (like increasing your list or conversion rates), tie in with popular current events (like swine flu), or be controversial. Or... I've seen several people who post motivational quotes or wise business advice; another good marketer threw in some Chuck Norris jokes this morning - which are hilarious.

2) Offer valuable content the readers you're targeting want to know more about. This overlaps a little bit with #1; however, this merits its own category because it is so important. If you want to increase your list, or generate more sales from social media websites, you MUST provide solid content that your target market of readers can benefit from. I've seen several savvy marketers have a compelling post, with a condensed link to a landing page, website and/or link to an audio or video.

You should have your "marketing funnel" planned out before you make these posts. Social media websites are great marketing TACTICS to use in your business; however, they're not necessarily a marketing STRATEGY in and of themselves. In other words, Facebook or Twitter may not be the "magic bullet" for your business if you don't use them correctly.

If you really want to delve into social media and how to profit from it, I'd suggest you get Joel Comm's book, Twitter Power; or listen to Mari Smith.


3) Make a post linked to a very compelling offer. You can promote a special you're running for a limited time (such as a "scratch-and-dent" sale for info-products in less than perfect condition); which can be a book, info-product, or a lower cost to your membership site. Here's a recent, real-life example of an almost-irresistible offer.

I subscribe to Ted Nicholas' The Success Margin e-zine. Last week, he promoted one of Bob Bly's books: Words You Should Know to Sound Smart, 1200 Essential Words, which sold for only $9.95.

That's a great price and value all by itself. He also threw in 33 bonuses, which were worth several thousand dollars. As I went through them, these bonuses had more value to me than the actual book did. And - I didn't know when I'd see them offered again, so it was a no-brainer to take Bob up on this irresistible offer.

While this offer wasn't made on a social media website, it's still a great example of a very compelling offer. And one you can use on Twitter, Facebook, your e-zine or blogsite.

Take these 3 success keys, put them to use in your business whereever and whenever you can, and I'm confident you'll see better business results.

Great Marketing Promotion Using Obama's Inauguration!

This is a great example of putting on a promotion, and tying it together with current events. Ben Martinez, owner and marketer extraordinaire at El Jardin Mexican restaurant in Commerce City, Colorado has a current e-mail promotion celebrating "Bar-Taco Obama" being inaugurated as our 44th President.

He's offering a taco plate with 3 beef or chicken hard-shell tacos, for only $4.44 (44th President, get it?). If you couldn't guess already, Ben likes to use puns and plays on words. Another good example was tied to Breast Cancer walks last fall, where Ben was selling "Mar-CURE-ritas."

Check out his website at www.ILoveElJardin.com, and get on his e-mail list. If you're in the Denver area, you'll help your dining dollar go farther, and get treated to great food and service (which is a hard combination to find nowadays).

I'm using this example because Ben does an excellent job of marketing and promoting his restaurant, especially tying these promos to current events. How can you promote your business and get publicity with current events and news? Follow Ben's examples, and you can't go too far wrong.

The 90-Day 'Marketing Sprint' Begins Today!

I can't believe that we're 2/3rds through 2008 already. So I'm looking ahead to the last four months of this year for what I want to get done, and still have time to enjoy life and spend it with family and friends.

And I know the last 4 to 6 weeks of the year can be the most difficult for a business owner. That's because people are busy with holiday parties, get-togethers and travel.

How many times have you talked with a potential customer between Thanksgiving and New Year's, only to hear the dreaded phrase: "What you have looks good, but get back to me after the 1st of the year." This is frustrating, and a momentum-killer for your business and bank account.

That's why you must have a plan of action between now and Thanksgiving, and through the rest of the year.

There's two ways you can deal with the holidays in your business:

1) Have a laser-like focus from now until Thanksgiving to get as much business done as possible. I call it the "90 Day Marketing Sprint."

Plan your marketing promotions, and make sure folks you outsource business to (such as graphic and web designers, copywriters, and event planners) know what you're doing, and are available when you'll need them.

Make sure you have enough lead time to get the design work, copy and other work done without being rushed. This way you'll be more productive, have fewer year-end regrets, and built-in momentum to carry you into the New Year.

The second option is...

2) Promote your own (or become an affiliate for other marketers') products during the holidays, to provide a secondary income stream for your business. You can promote these to your e-mail list easily, when you use an e-mail program like AWeber.

You can use AWeber to send e-mails at a pre-determined time, so you don't have to spend time to manually send each one to your list. If you don't have that big of a list, Joel Christopher and Tellman Knudsen have good advice on how to build a list quickly.

By doing the 90-Day Marketing Sprint, and getting income from affiliate programs, you can better deal with the 'holiday hurricane' of activity from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. You'll have a sense of accomplishment... more peace of mind... not to mention more money in your bank account.

If you haven't done it yet, plan out what you want to get accomplished from now through December 31, 2008. It'll make your business life easier, and give you a head-start on positive momentum for 2009.