Imagine Your Reality

In the first post in this series I focused on the need to identify your audience as a key component of developing your social media strategy. In this post we focus on the next component, which is identifying what business model you fall into. By business model, I’m referring specifically if your model is business to business, business to consumer, or a mix of the two. I’ll briefly define all three models below.

Business to Business: This type of business model has businesses as their main clients. For example commercial real estate primarily deals with businesses as opposed to customers (residental real estate). Another example would be a heating and cooling that primarily services businesses.

Business to Consumer: this type of business model has consumers as their main client. The electronic stores that the latest TVs and computers would be an example of business consumer. A plumber who primarily deals with residential homes would be another example.

Mix of Business to Consumer and Business: These are businesses that can offer services to both consumers and businesses and have a mix clientele. Using the heating and cooling company as an example, they would service both commercial and residential properties. A lot of businesses will fall into this category if they offer services and/or products that could be used by both consumers and businesses.

Determining what category your business falls into is essential for determining what your social media strategy is going to be and what sites you will focus on. For example, while Facebook is an excellent site to be on for a Business to Consumer business, it doesn’t offer the same opportunities to a Business to Business business because the majority of people on Facebook are consumers. You’ll still get some leverage from Facebook, particularly if your clients are B to C businesses but you’ll also want to look at other social networking sites, which are more niched toward B to B businesses.

Assess what your business model is and then research how other businesses that have a similar model are using social media as well as what sites they are on.

The latest episode of Social Media coach asks What is social Networking? Next week’s episode is on blogs.

Upcoming Events

I have two upcoming events.

Social networking for Businesses 101

Already have your social networking profiles setup and optimized to market your professional identity? GREAT!

Then PLEASE forward this message to your colleagues who are overwhelmed by invites to social networking sites and have only the bare bones of a profile set up on the sites they are on.

But if you want to leverage your social networking profiles on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook, and other social networking sites to market your business, this message is for YOU:

Join us on Monday October 26th, 2009 at 1pm for a special 4 hour class on how to set-up and optimize your social networking profiles, where you will learn the following:

• How to claim your personalized url for Linkedin and Facebook, and why it’s important to do it.
• How to optimize your social networking profiles for search results and as a way to market your business.
• How to connect your social networks to each other.
• The key to developing effective connections on different social networking sites.

And that’s not all!

Social Networking for Business also teaches you how to write profiles that get you noticed.

You’ll learn how to:

• Organize your thoughts, pick a key message
• Use current events to keep your status updates relevant.
• Write DREAMY, attention-grabbing copy

Social Networking for Business: One half day delivers killer writing and optimized social networking profiles!

For more information and to register please visit the Events page for IYR.

Eight Steps to a Successful Social Media Marketing Plan

This is a 12 Week Webinar for Business Owners who are great at what they do, but feel overwhelmed when it comes to Social Media Marketing

If you’re like most business owners you’re frustrated by social media technology and having to fit it into your already busy schedule. Additionally having to learn how to market yourself on social media can be intimidating because it also involves learning the correct social media etiquette as well as the tools.

You feel discouraged because you know social media is becoming more important for marketing a business but don’t how to use the technology or you do know how to use it, but wonder why no one ever responds to your posts.

How does the Eight Steps to a successful Social Media Marketing Plan webinar work?

We meet twelve times over four months and will go through the 8 steps to a success social media marketing plan. You’ll work on setting up your social media presence and gradually develop a successful social media marketing plan.

You’ll be part of a powerful group of entrepreneurs who own businesses, just like you, who want to get unstuck with social media. You’ll learn the technology AND the marketing together.

The sessions will be a very focused combination of teaching, sharing, feedback, and support.

At the end, everyone will have a completed social media marketing plan and presence to take into 2010!

Begins October 30th and ends January 22nd (no class December 25th and January 1st) We meet Fridays 11:30-1 PST on the phone and website. Every class will be recorded, but you can call in from anywhere and access the website from any place with an internet connection.

This seminar includes:

• Training on the technology for the social media sites. You’ll learn how to optimize and automate your social media presence.
• The Social Media Marketing Plan handbook.
• One individual 30 minute coaching call with me.
• 12 group sessions over four months.
• Seminar Discussion Blog where you can share information and ask question with each other.
• Feedback from other professional, motivated business owners.

You know you need help with your social media marketing presence, and you are also smart enough to know that all successful people get help!

For more information and to register for this class, please go to the Events page on IYR.