Social Media Tips

Quick link: apply for the Million Dollar Challenge

When social marketing expert David Meerman Scott came to promote his new book, which challenges conventional ideas about digital marketing and internet strategy, he figured he had to do something different. This business TV show explains the background to a book launch that became a social marketing phenomenon.

A proponent of radical new ideas about social marketing, Scott admitted to feeling a little anxious about launching his new book, World Wide Rave.

This was the time, he felt, to prove his theories by promoting the book using the very same methods that that he describes in it.

The internet strategy which he devised in order to achieve this was truly unique, and sure enough it provided a fantastic practical demonstration of his ideas on social marketing.

In the process, plenty of small business marketing tips are given for businesses thirsty for new marketing ideas to deal with the recession.

Scott’s World Wide Rave is the idea that if you create content that is valuable and useful to the public, people will find it and share it.

As a result, your audience will spread word about your products and services, in a way which does not require any of the cost or coercion associated with other marketing techniques.

The inspiration behind the internet strategy Scott used to promote World Wide Rave came from the book’s cover design, which is based on old rock posters.

Scott printed a special poster for the book and posted it out to readers around the globe. He asked recipients to submit a photo of themselves with the poster in their home country. The response to his social marketing strategy was so great, he was forced to create an online video clip to contain all the photos.

Hear the rest of the story by watching this free show.

Would you like to know how to generate astounding business results on a microscopic budget? Join the Underdog Marketing Challenge.

Or, do you prefer a seasoned team of experts helping you every step of the way? Join the Million Dollar Challenge.

Business TV

Most online retailers are becoming aware of the importance of social media in creating an effective web strategy.

In this new business TV show, Finlay Clark of bigmouthmedia shares his best business ideas and latest business development tips on the right way to leverage social media to build brand affinity.

The massive growth of sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo over the last few years has meant that more and more retailers are interested in marketing on social networks. People are on Facebook the whole time, so the thinking goes, so surely a web strategy can be designed to get our brand in front of all those people?

In his business development tips on the show, Clark cautions businesspeople and marketers against joining social networks online for the express purpose of making sales.

A more effective social media and internet strategy, says Clark, is to think of social media as a means of receiving customer feedback, rather than a conventional sales or marketing forum.

This is because users of social networking sites are primarily interested in talking with their friends and contacts, and sharing information, rather than in buying things. A really successful web strategy will take account of this.

Social media can be a very valuable information resource, says Clark in his business development tips on the show. Social media users are having conversations about what they think about brands, what their questions and problems and wishes are.

Clark recommends a web strategy whereby businesses monitor the social media environment to find where conversations that are relevant to the brand, products, or service are taking place. The information gleaned from these conversations will be a fantastic source for the frequently asked questions section of your website.

Clark provides plenty more advice on making use of social media in your internet strategy, in this free show right here on yourBusinessChannel.

View videos from worldwide experts on social marketing and web strategy. Use our videos to help develop your own internet strategy…

…and for best results with the help of a team of experts, apply for a spot in the Million Dollar Challenge.

Business TV

After our last post regarding the Million Dollar Challenge, several people asked me the same question:

Are there any guarantees?

Million Dollar Challenge means working with the entire team of top experts to elevate your business. Out of the 25 places initially available there are 6 left.

Million Dollar Challenge is low-risk - you only pay full price when the results are there…

… and so, here they are: 20 recession-busting guarantees:

• 45 day iron-clad money back - GUARANTEED: if you’re not happy with where things are going within the first 45 days, we’ll refund anything you pay and you can walk away.
   
• World class advice, campaigns and ideas - GUARANTEED: Everything we do draws on the expertise of dozens of world leading experts in specialist areas – people who are at the top of their field - plus hundreds of business people who have achieved great results, as well as some of the world’s most successful and recognized brands.  No dross.
   
• Cut your losses - GUARANTEED: We’ll identify where you’re wasting or risking money in ineffective marketing techniques. We’ll help you to stop this immediately.  Save money.
   
• Build your income, fast - GUARANTEED: We’ll identify areas where you’re missing revenue opportunities and put a plan together so that you can capture that revenue as fast as possible.  We like to make sure you’re not missing out on opportunities.  Get in!
   
• It’s been tested - GUARANTEED: All campaigns, tools and techniques we prepare for you will be previously tested and proven to work before recommending them.  Where possible, we’ll recommend tools and resources which are best in class.  We want to ensure your success.  Perfect.
   
• More than 63,000 social networking contacts - GUARANTEED: Wherever possible, we’ll help you to benefit from our experts and international business social networking contacts which currently number well over 63,550 first level contacts.  And that means millions of second level contacts, even before we begin to think about our syndication network.  Fancy that?
   
• A better view of your market - GUARANTEED: We guarantee that once you’re working with us, you’ll have a much better understanding of the issues and opportunities in your own market and you’ll feel in a much better position to take the market by storm. We haven’t failed yet.
   
• If it’s broke, we’ll fix it - GUARANTEED: If a genuine issue arises or you perceive there’s a gap in our recommendations, we will fix it by completely revising our recommendations, completely at our cost.  We want you to be thrilled.
   
• We’ll update our recommendations - GUARANTEED: If something changes either in the market or with regard to one of the specialist areas that we’re recommending, we’ll update our recommendations to you automatically.  No problem.
• Develop your own in-house capability - GUARANTEED: Our aim is to empower you to grow your own business development capability in-house. And increase the impact you can have on the market. While we’re interested in developing long term relationships, we are most interested in making sure that you can do this yourself.  Go you!
   
• What we deliver will be unique - GUARANTEED: The blueprints we prepare for you will be completely unique to your business.  You won’t find them in a text book.  And the "next guy" doesn’t get the same blueprint.
   
• We’ll do everything to find the answer - GUARANTEED: If we don’t already have the answer to a specific issue or opportunity you face, we’ll go out and find a world leading expert who can help us crack it for you, at no extra cost.  Who else offers this?
   
• No gobbledygook - GUARANTEED: We will communicate with you in plain English which is always easy to understand. Jargon and corporate business language is banned!  You won’t need an interpreter to understand us.
   
• Recommendations by video - GUARANTEED: When we’re making key strategic recommendations, we’ll deliver them to you by video over the internet so that when you receive the recommendations, they are clear, punchy and easy to understand.  Nice.
   
• Templates developed for you - GUARANTEED: Wherever possible, we’ll develop key templates that you can you use to make implementation as easy as possible for you.  Why should you have to do this?
   
• Inexpensive campaigns - GUARANTEED: Our aim is to enable you to implement any campaign that we recommend as inexpensively as possible.  This will help ensure that you are getting the best return on investment for every marketing activity you undertake and that you get quality results.  Perfect.
   
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• Everything in confidence - GUARANTEED: We guarantee your complete confidentiality and protection of your intellectual property while we’re working with you.  You can trust us with commercial secrets.  Phew!
   
• We’ll listen to you - and act - GUARANTEED: We undertake to acknowledge any issue or concern raised within 24hours of you raising it with us, and we’ll aim to resolve it within one working week, wherever possible.  Low stress.
   
• We’ll learn from your mistakes - and ours - GUARANTEED: Nobody’s perfect, least of all us.  So while we aim to deliver exactly what you need, on time, every time, we also acknowledge that we - and you - will sometimes get things wrong.  And when that happens, we won’t just apologies.  We’ll learn from it, and make whatever changes are required to avoid it happening again.  Good approach.

Beat the recession - sign up for the Million Dollar Challenge today.

Business TV

If you’ve been active on social networks lately, you have probably heard the buzz about the Million Dollar Challenge.  It is a groundbreaking business TV collaboration which offers unique results-based opportunity for your business to access powerful marketing campaigns valued at well over US$1 million.  This gives you access to the kind of thinking, expertise and campaigns that most businesses would only dream of.

Underdog Marketing has forged a strategic alliance with yourBusinessChannel, so now our readers can apply to take part in the Million Dollar Challenge.  It only takes only a few minutes to apply. You should certainly take a look.

The ideas behind these campaigns draw on the latest thinking of top rank business experts from around the world. For example, in the area of business networking contributing experts include Ecademy founder Penny Power, BNI founder, Ivan Misner and the most connected man in the world Ron Bates. Sales campaigns draw on the thinking of experts like David Meerman Scott (a man personally responsible for over US$1 billion in sales), entrepreneurial successes like Bob Young (whose business broke all first day records on the NYSE when it listed), PR gurus like Peter Shankman, as well as experts in blogging, online sales, content distribution and much more.

Million Dollar Challenge campaigns are leading edge: they will shock your competitors, excite your prospects, and transform your business, all at a price you can afford.  The first group of businesses already on the Challenge are reporting excellent results even early on.   Best of all, in challenging times, the Million Dollar Challenge is very low risk, because it is largely results-based. You only pay full price if you experience great results. (Of course, we’re absolutely confident that you will.)

If selected to take part in the Challenge, your business will be one of a handful to get access to campaign blueprints drawn from the advice of global marketing experts, and then tailored specifically for your business. Blueprints like:

• Digital Marketing Blitz: campaign on key social networks like LinkedIn, YouTube, and FaceBook with a purpose built sales team
• Attraction Blueprint: connect directly with customers on social networks and search engines like Google.
• Sales Monster: generate powerful sales presentations fast whenever your sales team needs them, and receive weekly updates on the latest sales techniques.
• Perfect Sales Site: benchmark your website against the internet’s ‘perfect sites’.

The key focus of the Million Dollar Challenge is rapid sales growth – because research shows that this is the number one business issue. Anyone with a business - from entrepreneur to executive - can apply. And the Million Dollar Challenge is open to business associations, charities and not-for-profits as well.

Even if you’ve not felt the impact of the global slowdown, the pressure is on. Decisions you make now are vital. Clever businesses like yours need to get the best results so that you make the most of every opportunity and grow rapidly.

Imagine if you could get access to over US$1m in results-based campaigns which have been proven to work, in many industries all around the world. What numbers could you achieve with the latest thinking, know-how and advice from some of the world’s most successful business experts?

Today you can find out.

There is more information on Million Dollar Challenge in this short video presentation.  The application process takes just 5 minutes. Twenty-five places have been made available.

Is there any reason you shouldn’t consider this for your business?

Business TV

For even the most self-confident person, arriving at a networking meeting can be daunting moment. With the right business networking advice, however, you can overcome unhelpful emotions like self-doubt, to make the most of your business networking strategy.

In this business TV show, business expert Andy Lopata shares some commonsense, practical business networking advice on developing a business networking strategy to let you conquer the fears and doubts that we all feel from time to time.

In the show, Lopata tells the story of a client he spoke to recently who was very nervous about approaching other people at events, because she feared they would reject her. Her crisis of confidence was seriously compromising her business networking strategy. This was despite the fact that, in her professional capacity, she was dealing with CEOs on a daily basis in a competent, confident manner.

When it came to networking events, she couldn’t help asking herself , “why do these people want to speak to me? What do I have to offer?”

In his business networking advice on the show, Lopata explains the business networking strategy that he recommended for this client.

He told the woman to write down two lists. In the first, she wrote down what her clients valued her for, and what they liked about her. In the second, he asked her to write down why someone would like to go on a date with her, why a night out with her would be a lot of fun.

When she read back the list, Lopata asked her if she thought people at a networking event would like to meet someone with these qualities. Of course the answer was yes. The idea of his business networking advice is to reinforce to yourself all the positive qualities you possess. Often your fear of networking can be subconscious and irrational, and takes a business networking strategy like this to counteract.

Business TV