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Startups...Be Practical and Tactical, Part 2

Guest post by: Donna Denil

Article Overview: As discussed in part one of this series, Google Reader is the linchpin to efficiently manage incoming information for your work flow. What follows here expands your ‘tool belt’ without expanding the demands on your time. As an online entrepreneur, time management is critical to maintaining a sane, practical, effective, work flow.

Startups...Be Practical and Tactical, Part 2

This article is based on excerpts from an interview with Todd Lohenry, CEO of E1evation, @e1evation, specializing in the practical, tactical aspects and application of social media for business and the usage of cool tools and techniques. Starting an online business can be a daunting, overwhelming, and frustrating experience. To take some of the ‘daunting, overwhelming, and frustrating’ elements away, Lohenry offers some food for thought. Part two: Using a Practical, Tactical approach in your online marketing. As discussed in part one of this series, Google Reader is the linchpin to efficiently manage incoming information for your work flow. What follows here expands your ‘tool belt’ without expanding the demands on your time. As an online entrepreneur, time management is critical to maintaining a sane, practical, effective, work flow. Social media is just like any other gathering except it has worldwide reach. In your non virtual world, you sit and listen for awhile then interject a relevant comment and join the conversation. Google Reader is one way to ‘listen’ virtually to multiple conversations and then weigh in via your blog or other social media outlet with something relevant. Some view social media marketing as a big waste of time. They perceive it as a self-serving, ego centric exercise without any real marketing clout. Although it is true jumping between email, newsletters, Twitter, blogs, RSS feeds and assorted other internet options can chew up your day, it doesn’t have to be that way. Michael Moon’s book, "Firebrands: Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet Age" zeroes in and connects the dots predicting the power of social media and amplifies what Peter Drucker said regarding modern economic history. Drucker says in the mid 90s we passed into the 5th era which is the era of Trust Networks. The 4th era, 1955-1995 was the Information Era. In this, the 5th era, the quantity of information is doubling every couple of years. Connecting to the internet is like drinking water from a fire hose. You’ll drown in information if you don’t somehow impede the flow to a manageable level. In this new era, we rely on our trusted relationships to filter/impede out the nonessential and prevent ‘drowning’. Here are some other ‘tools’ to consider… GIST-simply put, you don't have to be the smartest guy in the room if you are sitting next to the smartest guy in the room. Your GIST dashboard allows you to bring the important people in your world to one spot rather than individually searching out what has been published by them, your mutual correspondence, conversations, tweets, podcasts, webinars, etc. Use GIST as a super filter to further cull out and prioritize what you need to operate your successful online business. This is where GIST gains tactical and practical importance over Google Reader. Google Reader is a magnificent source of raw, unfiltered information. However, when you subscribe to things of interest or importance to you and your business, you get it ALL with no filters. The important (to you) comes mixed together with things that are not meaningful to you and your business. When your trusted sources are posting and you're receiving it through GIST, you're making the assumption it is credible because of the source. When you are leveraging people as a part of the process, it adds the filter of your trusted sources whom you’ve identified as smart, credible, thought leaders. It’s an extra editorial level. You set the threshold, filter, and allow lower priority items to go to a holding area. Twitter---What Lohnery found is that twitter is the ‘love language’ of the big players he wanted to communicate with. While that may not be true in your locale, the lesson to be learned is this: trying to force the big players in your world to communicate in your favored way won’t get you the results you want. “To establish ongoing communication and meaningful dialogue it’s incumbent to learn their communication style. Tap into Tweetmeme, which allows you to search Twitter results in real time. Seeing something which has been tweeted 1,000 times is like having the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on that topic.” Using websites, blogs, Face Book pages, Twitter, podcasts, webinars, and YouTube allows the person we are communicating with virtually to see what we look like. People like to see with whom they are communicating and potentially doing business with. Video blogging adds even more transparency and credibility-you are adding the visual to content. Sometimes the fact that the video isn’t done professionally adds even more. It can make you more believable and approachable. Take social media marketing to the next level by searching out the smartest people and best writing, commentators, and information on topics of interest to you. Read what they read, follow them virtually, comment and reblog or retweet on their posts and tweets. You are affirming and adding credibility to their efforts. Just because it is technology based doesn’t mean it’s so new and social niceties don’t count. It is a return to the basics described by Moon and Drucker. As your mother or grandmother might have said to you, ‘you’re judged by the company you keep’. I don’t know about you, I like to hang out with winners! If you only learn one tool, Lohenry recommends Google Reader. If you are adding a second tool, make it GIST. It’s a time management, easy to learn, functional tool. GIST has a gadget that goes into Google applications, funneling communication from anyone or entity I have identified as GIST worthy into my inbox. That isn’t as contradictory as it sounds, when you have clearly and concisely prioritized for your business. For more in depth information on how to use these tactics and tools visit e1evation. To Your Success! Donna Denil, Online Entrepreneur

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Article Tags: online marketing, practical tools, social media, strategy
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com



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