Entries Tagged 'Social networks' ↓

I’ve been thinking about Twittographics (Twitter demographics) for a few days. In fact, ever since I read a few blog posts about the metrics that define the style of Twitter user you are, including this one by Louis Gray.

Twitter being such a versatile tool (or rather such a simple tool that it can be put to such versatile use), there are no doubt going to be many different perspectives about Twitter demographics and how they are defined.

Here’s my viewpoint.

There are 4 variables or parameters to watch.

Following
Followers
Tweets
@ messages

Following

On Twitter, people are following other people. There may be many reasons for following someone. Broadly, they may be classified into 2 groups:

1. Curiosity: You want to see what they’re up to, doing, sharing, and learn from them.

2. Selfishness: By you following THEM, the chances are they will follow YOU back! In fact, there is a certain sub-set of Twitizens who believe it is Twittiquette to follow anyone who is following you. (I do not subscribe to this school of thought, by the way, and even recently slashed my Twitter following for reasons explained in this blog post)

And there’s a sub-group who abuse Reason #2. You’d fall into it by UN-following someone AFTER they have followed you, just so that you can repeat and grow your following!

So obviously, since FOLLOWING is a variable that is completely under the control of every Twitter user, it is purely a reflection of HOW the person uses Twitter.

And for what purpose.

That - and that alone - should determine and influence Following.

But how about ‘Followers’?

Followers

As a veteran of email list publishing, I like Twitter primarily because it offers ‘fast feedback loops’ about your ‘performance’ as a Twitterer.

I once shared my philosophy about tweeting:

“You tweet FOR your ‘Followers’, not AT them!”

Which I translate to mean that your Twitter posts should be geared more at your audience’s (’followers’) needs, wants, expectations and interests than being solely about yourself… that is, a) if you want many followers, and b) are not already a famous celebrity!

On Twitter, people can follow you at the click of a button.

They can UN-follow you just as easily, with another click on REMOVE.

What encourages one and discourages the other is the VALUE your tweets provide them.

And so, in a very real sense, your ‘follower’ count is a more accurate reflection of how interesting, instructive, entertaining, funny, outrageous or remarkable your Twittering is.

Forget this cardinal rule and you’ll soon be tweeting into the ether with no one the wiser (someone somewhere used the apt phrase for this - Twitterbation!)

Tweets

Twitter posts are called ‘tweets’.

And Twitter users tweet for many different reasons.

#1 - Search Engine Ranking: Twitter posts get indexed on Search Engines - often quickly, often high. Don’t trust me - Google ‘drmani’ (no quotes) and see!

#2 - Link lobbing: Works like a charm as long as the links add value to your followers, and are not merely attempts at driving traffic to your site/blog

#3 - Communication and relationship building: Involves extensive use of @ messages. Twitter is wonderful at this, beats the socks off email! We’ll get into this later.

#4 - Announcements. Like notifications about a new blog post or updates to a site or a sale, launch, discount or special offer. This style of tweeting can even be automated, and delivered through RSS feed integration.

#5 - Pitching: Tweets are also (ab)used for constantly delivering marketing pitches. I personally feel this is a poor use of such a versatile platform, but hey - different strokes for different folks, right?!

#6 - Ego boosts. These tweets are characterized by name dropping, and vanity tweeting (the “See how smart I am!” or “Don’t you simply envy me?” kind)

#7 - Wasting time. Stuff you do while you can’t do anything else. Like while waiting for plane, or stuck in traffic. Drivel delivered at spinal level. Stuff that makes me go: “Who the #$@%# CARES?!” Still, it’s a big world

Unfortunately, though, most first-time Twitter watchers see this last kind of post and wonder whatever could be special about Twitter as a service!

Poor them, if they let this make them decide to leave without exploring further, right?

@ Messages

I mentioned ‘communication and relationship building’ in the list above.

@ messages are one of the 2 ways to communicate directly with individuals on Twitter, like calling out their name across a crowded room.

For instance, if you want to get my attention on Twitter, you would post a message @drmani

Such one-on-one communication also allows network building and relationship nurturing even on an apparently over-cluttered community.

(The other option, of course, is Direct Messaging, which is private)

Twitter users with a high proportion of @ tweets are obviously socializing - engaging in conversation, debate or argument with individuals, or calling out and addressing them directly, as opposed to ‘broadcasting’ to their entire group of ‘followers’.

Defining Twitizens - The Role of Twittographics

Given the diversity of combinations when you mix and match the different possibilities, even within these limited 4 variables, it’s obvious that defining the type of Twitizen you are based on Twittographics is going to be a tough, uncertain and error-prone task.

Take the measure of ‘tweets per follower‘ as an example. A ratio of less than 1.0 would no doubt define a user as a ‘listener’.

But it’s harder to say definitely that a ratio of 2.0 to 5.0 makes a ‘conversationalist’ (unless we know for sure what fraction of tweets are @ messages) or that a ratio of more than 5.0 characterizes a ‘megaphone’ (since most, or even all of the tweets could be one-on-one communications with followers).

Another fallacy of using such a metric as ‘updates per follower’ to define a Twitter user lies in the fact that if you have more followers, you are naturally going to drop back on the ratio - unless you spend hours daily tweeting!

For instance, I have over 800 followers. To maintain a ‘tweets per follower’ ratio of 1.0, I’ll have to tweet 800+ times! And what happens if my ‘followers’ number increases much further? Who has that much time, right? Not me, for sure.

So then, will I become a ‘listener’? Not really, because I only follow 40 people or less on Twitter!

I use Twitter to engage and network with people, do it quickly and informally, and keep frequently churning my ‘following’ list depending on what catches my fancy at the moment. Over 80% of all my tweets are @ messages, indicating this style of Twitter usage.

And by having @ messages open from anyone, I can participate in conversations with anyone who sends an @drmani tweet.

So tweet frequency has little sanctity as a Twittographic metric to define the kind of Twitter user you are.

Just like any 2-way communication tool or service, Twitter following is a reflection of implicit promise and perceived value. When the ‘match’ is right, frequency becomes simply a side issue!

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As a kind of experiment and survey, I asked the 598 people who are ‘following’ me on Twitter WHY they did.

The answers were instructive and interesting.

Here’s what I find intriguing, though.

I repeated this question 3 or 4 times in the course of a few hours. 14 of 598 people responded - a 2.3% ‘conversion’ rate. Far lower than typical email response rates.

Why didn’t the others respond?

It would be interesting to match the number of people each of these ‘responders’ are following, and compare it against how many the others who did NOT respond are following.

Because I have a theory - and around it, have formulated my own “Following FORTY” rule.

It is that if one is to have MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS on Twitter, you cannot be ‘following’ more than 40 people (unless you have a disproportionately high duration of time to be active on Twitter).

Thoughts and comments welcome

Oh, and you can follow me by going here - http://Twitter.com/drmani - and clicking on the FOLLOW button

Image credit www.sxc.hu

In 2006, FAST COMPANY magazine did a short report about my work online helping children with congenital heart defects. The article was titled:

“Dr.Mani - Spamming for Good”

Interesting headline, isn’t it?

Since then, I’ve also been ‘Social Networking for Good’.

And have come across some amazing human beings involved in wonderful work, in efforts to make the world a better place.

Like Rosalyn Bronstein. She’s not rich and wealthy in a financial sense, but is one of the richest people I know. Every year, on CHD Awareness Day and during the Heart Kids Blogathon, Rosalyn gets in touch with me.

Her request is always the same: “Please tell me how I can help.”

Even when temporarily struggling to pay utility bills, she accessed computers in her public library to help spread the word about CHD Awareness Day. She went around hospitals, posting printed notes on bulletin boards to help tell more people about heart birth defects.

People like Rosalyn are the reason I can continue with my work, with energy and inspiration, knowing that it WILL make a difference.

On the other end of the financial spectrum is my friend - and in a sense, my philanthropic mentor - the maverick real estate multi-millionaire Frank McKinney.

Frank builds luxury mansions for the ultra-rich. Think FIFTY MILLION dollar homes!

He also builds shelters and homes for the extremely poor in Haiti. I’m a proud sponsor of his Caring House Project, and it’s time for my annual contribution to this worthy cause.

Frank McKinney called last November and we enjoyed a 30 minute telephone conversation. One of his core philosophies resonated strongly with me -

“Of those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

And on online social networks like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, I’ve connected with some amazing people who are doing awesome things.

On Twitter, I met Roger Carr, Beth Kanter and Anne Mitchell.

Beth recently spearheaded a fundraiser to help educate children in Cambodia. With energy and passion I haven’t seen often, she rocketed her charity to the top of the ‘America Giving’ challenge - and won an EXTRA $50,000 donation for her cause.

Anne helped raise money to help the desperately poor in Tajikistan (bet you don’t know where that is, do you?!) - by tying in with a tea-house in her home town.

Roger is currently engaged in helping children with arthritis. You can learn more about his efforts here - and help him reach his goal.

Juvenile arthritis (joint problems in children) is particularly close to my heart. My aunt had severe complications related to a condition called SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) causing severe arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis runs in my family.

The pain is compounded many times over when it hits children.

Imagine a youngster excited about being able to hold a pencil and write - because the crippling pain is under control.

Experience the ecstasy and thrill a child feels when riding a bike in the sunshine - after not even being able to step out of bed because it hurts.

Think about a little boy or girl you know who enjoys childhood - and then of another with arthritis who will now be able to do everything the ‘normal’ way.

Those are the dreams Roger Carr is helping make come true through his efforts supporting the Arthritis Foundation.

Won’t you please help him make many more of these dreams come true?

Roger has set himself what I think a very modest goal - to raise $1,000 for the Arthritis Foundation. I’m sure he’ll hit it. But I want to make sure he SHATTERS that target - and gets far more than that for the kids.

So I’m donating $100. And asking you to help, if you can.

And for anyone who donates any amount to Roger’s fundraiser, I’m going to offer a gift. NOT as a bribe, or incentive, or any such thing. As a gift… one that will help you connect with the thousands of others like Roger, Anne, Beth, Frank and Rosalyn - through social networks.

That gift is my guide, the $97.00 ‘Social Media Marketing Plan’

It will show you how to explore social networks - and do GOOD.

Thank you for joining the growing ranks of wonderful, inspiring and generous people who are ‘Social Networking for Good’.

Here’s one way to integrate your activities across various social media properties and networks, so that each leverages another and gets you incremental value from whatever you do in this space.

I use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and blogging as my primary social networking activities at this moment - and here’s how I’ve set them up to work in concert.

On my blog…

I have the Twitter widget on the sidebar, a Feedburner icon (plus email sign up link) for visitors to subscribe, and will soon add the Facebook widget too. A visitor to my blog gets instant news about what I’m doing on FB and Twitter, while reading my longer blog posts… and if s/he likes it, can subscribe for more, through RSS feed or by email.

The blog is also distributed through Aweber, with email notifications along with short summaries sent out whenever I update the blog with new content (not every time, but once every 3 posts or so).

On Twitter…

My profile links back to my blog. Through my tweets, I often link back to posts and other events of interest on my site, forum or blog - and even point to FB, LinkedIn and other social media sites I frequent.

Because my Twitter widget is on the blog and on Facebook, the latest tweets are ’syndicated’ across them too.

On Facebook…

I have the Twitter widget enabled, which means my tweets are shown to my FB Friends. I post Notes about interesting blog posts, leading some FB Friends to my blog, Twitter or MySpace to read more about them.

I have also enabled my StumbleUpon account sharing, so sites that I ’stumble’ will show up on Facebook too. And by ’stumbling’ my recent blog posts, that bit can happen ‘automatically’.

On StumbleUpon…

My profile page links back to my blog. I also stumble posts on my blog, tweets on Twitter and updates to my websites, among other interesting links I discover as I surf the Web.

I could use RSS to integrate SU more intensively into my blog, if I wanted to.

That’s just a brief overview.

It helps maximize my involvement in social media, by spreading the effort across multiple networks. Parts of my audience across these media is the same. But there are some folks who only see me on FB, some on Twitter, others on email - and by sharing and distributing content across the networks, I increase my chances of reaching them through one channel or another.

It’s why in this post titled “Oh, Twitter!” I called it a ‘channel’. In a sense, all social media is a channel - between you and your audience. Maximize it for greater value for your investment in time and effort.

How do you integrate your social media networking? Do you have any helpful tips to share? Please leave a comment explaining how you do it. Thanks.

I hardly ever tell you to try out things I have
not personally experienced, tested and found
useful.

That’s because there’s an ‘opportunity cost’ to
all stuff - even free things.

In the time you take to ‘test’ something, you may
be better off doing something ELSE - that really
works!

Though I haven’t often presented it that way,
THIS is the REAL value you get from being on
my email list.

* Not the products I create or promote to you.

* Not the cool things, events and projects I
write to you about.

* Not the people I evangelize to you.

All that is useful - but the value comes from the
TIME and EFFORT I save for you by directing you
towards what works… and NOT telling you about
the rest that is less effective, or worse, totally
INEFFECTIVE.

Social media marketing is one such thing where I
can honestly say:

“Your Mileage Will Vary”

For some folks, social media marketing will ROCK.

For most, it will be a total time drain.

I’m talking about stuff like Twitter, Sphinn,
MySpace, StumbleUpon and the latest darling of
the IM arena…Facebook!

Yes, the same Facebook that John Reese seems to
have suddenly thrust into the limelight of an
‘eager-for-the-Next-Big-Thing’ IM marketplace.

Social media marketing is something I’ve been
working on intensely, testing actively and
exploring extensively since May-June 2007.

That’s when I tested Facebook - and gave up on
it!

I also found Twitter and StumbleUpon most
exciting, useful and valuable in networking
and generating website traffic.

But here’s the thing… each social network
has potential - for specific purposes.

And like all forms of socializing, the more
you do it, the better you get at it - and
the more value you get from it.

Sadly, most marketers look at the huge crowds
that frequent these services - and see a
herd waiting to be exploited.

Just like mailing lists.

Or forum communities.

Or even blog readers.

But these are folks who don’t have a clue of
the nature of the beast we call SOCIAL media.

It’s like the difference between Web 1.0 which
was about ‘lecturing from a platform’ and even
Web 2.0 which was based on ‘user generated
content’.

Social Media Marketing is the coming Web 3.0

It’s about ENGAGEMENT and PARTICIPATION.

Not merely ‘marketing’.

Or sending out mail blasts.

Even orchestrating a ‘launch’ with JVs.

Social media marketing, to be effective,
DEMANDS YOUR INVOLVEMENT.

It cannot be ‘outsourced’.

It cannot be ‘automated’.

It cannot be ’syndicated’.

And no, you cannot ride the coat-tails, hop
on a bandwagon or piggyback on someone’s
popularity and ‘fame’ the way you can with
joint venture deals or conventional marketing.

It is the NEW MARKETING - and we’re all learning.

If you have the time, interest and curiosity to
want to learn it, and have the analytical skills,
judgement and perspective to see what it can do
for your business - and then, are willing to
COMMIT TIME, ENERGY and YOUR PERSONALITY to test
it out, then go for it.

You’ll have fun - and learn a lot - even if all
you try doesn’t work.

But if you’re looking for the BEST, most effective
and workable solutions because you are starved for
time, have too much to do, and don’t really ‘get’
this whole ‘engagement/participation’ thing -

You’re Better Off Giving Social Media
Marketing A COMPLETE MISS!

Don’t try and pervert or manipulate it.

That could be dangerous and detrimental to your
business health.

I predict quite a few ‘big name’ marketers will
find this out the HARD WAY - and quite a few
will end up with mud on their faces.

Don’t be one of them.

Play the social media marketing game the SMART
and RIGHT way - or get off the field. That’s
safer than doing it WRONG!

No one has the answers. Everyone is learning.
You can join the fun - if you have 3 things:

* Enough time to explore and experiment

* Desire to involve yourself in social
intercourse

* Curiosity to test, learn and change

All success
Dr.Mani

My main social media identities are:

* Twitter -
http://www.Twitter.com/drmani

* StumbleUpon -
http://infopreneurblog.stumbleupon.com

* MySpace -
http://www.MySpace.com/drmani

* Facebook -
http://profile.to/drmani

(I’m not listing my Gooruze, Ning, Gather,
Sphinn, Reddit and other IDs because I
don’t use them much any longer)

Over the last 10 days, I’ve set up a profile on Facebook and grown it to include 347 ‘Friends. And also done it on LinkedIn, where I now have 47 ‘Connections’. I have posted close to two hundred times on Twitter and grown my ‘Following’ from 470 to 548.

So was I existing entirely on social networks, doing little else?

Nope.

It has been a prolific and productive week.

In the same time frame, I launched 3 new products/programs - the ‘Authority Site Process‘ for search engine optimization, the ‘Ask Dr.Mani‘ program where I invite questions from members, and the ‘Success Mindset‘ mentorship.

And I re-launched one of my favorite ebooks, ‘The Emotion Prism‘. My medical practice has been quiet, though, because April is when schools have their annual/final exams!

How can I do all this? By having a disciplined ‘Social Media Marketing‘ strategy - and setting strict limits on what I do, and where.

I could have called this post ‘Twitter Efficiency Tips‘ or ‘Facebook Productivity Secrets‘. It’s about how to get the most from social networks and integrate your social media marketing into everything else you do - online and off.

Social Networking Sucks You In!

It’s tempting and easy to get involved in social networks… and spend hours and hours doing ‘fun’ stuff.

It’s also natural. Man is a social animal. We were not supposed to live in isolation. Communities and interaction are core to our kind.

Yet, barring few exceptions, for the most of us, some privacy and solitude is essential to carry out tasks, get work done, focus attention on important things.

Social media marketing and participation on social networks interferes with this. And that is by design.

Sharp minds behind these networks use their smarts to get you engaged and involved for as long as possible - because the longer you stay, the more they derive value, and by extension, revenues, from your participation.

What’s In It For YOU?

I know this sounds contrary to my advice of always ‘giving first’ when it comes to social engagement.That’s to deter folks from barging into social networks with a ‘See Me, See What I’ve Done’ style self-promotion.

But it is just as important to be selfish - in a not-so-blatant way. And that selfishness is determined by asking “What’s in it for me?” when you get involved in social networks.

• Is spending 3 hours a day on Twitter adding value to your bottom-line?
• Is scurrying down Facebook’s rabbit holes making you a better person?
• Is connecting with people on LinkedIn raising your profile and job prospects?

If the answer is “Yes”, keep doing it.

But don’t let participation on social media and networks become your excuse for ‘work’ - especially if you cannot quantitate and measure the success you are deriving from it.

Measure, Track & Analyze

I watch metrics like visitor count, sales and referrals carefully.

Twitter connects me to friends - but has also got me guest posts on Problogger’s popular A-list blog, sparked off a project with Kevin Riley (see “Post Product Launch Follow Up“) and started discussion about another with John Rhodes - about ‘Twitter Domination Secrets v2.0‘. It even made a few sales of “The Emotion Prism“.

My research into Facebook earned me $269.51 this week - from a variety of incidental monetization models. My profile on LinkedIn is bringing 50 visitors to my blog daily, and expands my visibility online.

Are you measuring and monitoring the impact of your social media marketing?

ROI on Time

Some try to short-circuit the process, avoid spending time - but want results.

Unfortunately, social networking does not permit such ‘tricks’. It’s like trying to speed up your romance - and get hooked up with the lady of your dreams in a week, spending 5 minutes a day. Or getting pregnant and having a baby in 3 and a half weeks. Or growing up from toddler to teenager over the weekend.

It just doesn’t happen that way.

Human interactions demand time, attention and persistence. They result in rich connections and rewarding relationships that make it completely worthwhile.

That’s your ROI on time.

And by the same token, you may lose that most precious commodity that you can never get back again - your time.

So carefully monitor how long you spend on social networks - and what returns you are getting from that investment.

Carry on doing what you are - ONLY IF it is worthwhile.

On Friday, I listened to an awesome interview.

Ron Bates is a Headhunter, Executive Search Consultant & Recruiter based
in San Francisco, USA. He’s also widely known as LinkedIn’s most-connected
user - with around FORTY THOUSAND direct Connections. Ron was saying he
was spending 1 to 2 hours A WEEK managing them!

Gosh! I was spending more than that networking with my
300+ ‘Friends’ on Facebook!

And it gets better. His network is COMPLETELY business
related. The folks in his group add DIRECTLY to his
bottom line.

Not like Facebook.

Because Facebook, in essence, is for KIDS!

* Look, I’ve got more ‘friends’ than you!

* Hey, I OWN you now!

* I *poked* you - now poke me back!

VERY professional, right? NOT!

Facebook was designed for kids in college.

It was intended to appeal to their tastes, interests and
ATTENTION SPANS!

College and school kids are curious. Have time to waste.
Follow trends, explore new things, are pretty much NOT
focused.

That’s appropriate for their age.

But a serious business owner or entrepreneur or professional
finds Facebook distracting. There are too many ‘rabbit
holes’ to go down and see.

And unless you know how to avoid that, you could waste
hours and hours and HOURS!

Mari Smith’s guide, “Facebook for Professionals” is of
great help in staying focused on the ‘right’ things at
FB - but it requires IRON WILL and discipline to follow
that sensible advice.

That’s why I’ve refrained from telling you about Facebook
until now. I explored it once in June 2007. And put it
through the paces again for the last 2 weeks. I like
it a little more - but it is STILL a waste of time!

Don’t get me wrong…

Facebook has a place in your social media portfolio -
but for business connections, I’ll take the ADULT
version any day… it is called

L I N K E D * I N

I created my profile on LinkedIn yesterday. See it here

I read Guy Kawasaki’s excellent guide to making the
most of LinkedIn.

I’m growing my connections - and invite you to join
my network - if you think it will add value to your
BUSINESS.

There’s very little to DISTRACT you on Linked In.
I like that. It is NOT a socializing tool, it’s a
NETWORKING tool. All the benefits, none of the
wasteful time and effort.

You can recommend people, connect with them, find
new contractors, partners and business contacts.

I do NOT know for sure that it will help you. I’m
too new to LinkedIn to say that. But I spent 3
hours setting things up and starting to network -
so that’s how much I believe in the potential.

Take a look. See if it’s right for you. And
believe me, it is NOT as distracting or time
wasting as Facebook - or even my favorite social
media app, the powerful people-connector…

TWITTER

I’ll wait for you to get LinkedIn to my network soon

Guy’s article about optimizing your LinkedIn profile
may be useful too.

See mine - and join my network - click here.

You’ll have to sign in to your account, then visit
the link above, and click the button near the top
right hand corner called “Contact Directly” -
and send me an invitation to join your network.

Once I approve it, we are ‘connected’.

Or LINKED IN!

Amid the cluster of gurus proclaiming that you should “follow the money”, I’m in the minority who suggest first finding your PASSION.

There’s a reason for this. It works. And it makes ‘work’ more fun.

But the real power of being passionate comes from the magic that it weaves upon anyone who comes into contact with you.

I’ll explain this better with a real case study - from my online experience yesterday.

It took me from being a stranger, to a student, and then a client, an affiliate and an evangelist - all within ONE HOUR!

Meet Mari Smith

Yesterday afternoon, she was a stranger who had contacted me via Facebook.

Her note of introduction mentioned the name of a mutual friend whom I trust a lot. So I explored what Mari was doing.

Interestingly enough, it was related to what I was researching - How To Use Facebook.

As I clicked on links leading me to more and more material created by Mari Smith, one thing stood out clearly like a beacon.

Mari was PASSIONATE about Facebook. Using it. Teaching others how to use it.

Why Facebook?

See her blog and you’ll feel it too…

The first post I read was “I Heart my Facebook and Twitter Communities!” and it had this bit that grabbed my attention and created a bond with Mari.

“…just by being out there and being yourself, bringing joy, adding value, uplifting people’s spirits with no “agenda” - people will remember you and want to connect with you.

Even if you’re not a natural-born Connector, there are certain steps you can take to maintain terrific visibility and exposure. And, authentically commenting, congratulating, and acknowledging others is certainly one of those steps.

We must keep in mind–regards online social networks, in particular - it’s relationships first, business second. This is my mantra!”

Facebook Fortunes

It’s obvious Mari really ‘gets’ Facebook and social media marketing/networking. Her Facebook profile reveals she has close to 2,000 ‘Friends’ and is very active on it. Her Twitter profile is just as interesting.

So I chose to study her Facebook approach - and discovered the free course, Facebook Fortunes - How To Grow Your Network And Your Net Worth on Facebook!”

The content is worth paying for - but Mari’s giving it away for free.

“Facebook for Professionals”

And there’s a method to her ‘madness’ because that free content, combined with her passionate style of teaching students how to use Facebook, make it an absolutely simple decision to get her ‘advanced’ course, “Facebook for Professionals”.

So, within 30 minutes of first hearing about Mari Smith, I was sending her money to learn from her.

Is she the only Facebook ‘expert’ around? Absolutely not. But she is a PASSIONATE expert - and that makes a huge difference when it comes to learning!

PodClass

The course is delivered through a service called PodClass - and that’s worth a blog post in and of itself. Check it out - there’s a ton of features for anyone looking to teach a course online.

Anyway… I’m in the members’ area, viewing the first 3 videos - and learning a LOT about Facebook and using it effectively to further my goals, and using it strategically to avoid the typical wasteful (even if temporarily entertaining) visits down rabbit-holes, when it suddenly struck me that this information was GOLDEN for my clients who themselves use Facebook.

From Customer To Affiliate - And More!

So quickly I drafted out an email to invite them to check out “Facebook for Professionals”.

Within an hour, I had gone from being a complete stranger, to a student, then a customer, and now an affiliate for Mari Smith’s Facebook program - and even more.

I was an admiring evangelist of this passionate teacher of Facebook ’secrets’ - and telling my list of over 3,000 people about her, telling my Twitter following of over 500 people about her, sending private messages on forums to people I knew would find this material helpful, and now blogging about it here!

Why?

Was it for the money I’d get as an affiliate for spreading the word? Here’s the thing. The course is priced very modestly at $197.00 when it launches on April 7th.

But when I joined, it was at the pre-launch introductory offer of $47.

By waiting 24 hours, I could have QUADRUPLED my affiliate referral fee. But I told my list right away - because I was caught up in the passion and the talent of this Facebook coach (to be fair, Mari is more than just a ‘Facebook coach’, she’s a social media marketing coach!)

Passion + Talent = Success

That’s how raw passion and talent work. You get even curious strangers caught up in the magic. Turn them into passionate supporters of your work. Get word of mouth buzz going and growing that you CANNOT buy at any price.

I have tapped into such a tidal wave of energy in the work I am really passionate about - helping sick little children with heart birth defects, and helping struggling home business owners find success online.

Yes, the money is nice.

Mari posted on Twitter that 85 orders have come in already while she puts the finishing touches on her 100+ page manual for the “Facebook for Professionals” course.

But that, in a sense, matters little when your work is fired by PASSION.

And also, the passion that you bring to the table sets you apart from any competition.

Mari says on her blog: “I do not believe in competition. Especially for the solopreneur. There’s only one YOU. No one can “compete” to be you.”

I agree. Your passion and dedication to the niche you are involved in can itself serve as your differentiator, your unique selling point, your brand identity.

I’ve made it a cornerstone of mine.

Finally, passion fuels the fire. Keeps you going. For as long as it takes.

In a report I shared some years ago, and which has been downloaded and read by over FIVE THOUSAND people, I share the story of how it took me 8 long years before any meaningful success was achieved.

How Long Does Success Take? - Read it, click here to download

Without passion, those 8 years might have been torture.

Because of passion, they were inspiring, educational and entertaining years.

Find your passion.

Reach your success.

After I posted about my regular style of ‘direct response blogging’
a few people emailed me to ask what exactly that meant.

Well, actually, it’s just a blog that evokes a response. Could be
clicking on a link. Or filling up a form. Or ordering a product.

An example might help. Here’s one of my recent projects. And as
the buzz is about to explode across the blogosphere, I don’t risk
much by letting you see how I’ve set it up to slipstream on to it.

Jeff Walker is about to release the next edition of his best-selling
PRODUCT LAUNCH FORMULA 2.0

I didn’t order the first version, but intend to buy the new one.
And because it is a high-ticket product, I will do some research.

This process was created to leverage that work I’m anyway going to
do for myself - which will be useful to anyone else who is thinking
about buying it.

I registered a few domain names. One of them is

http://www.Product-Launch-Formula2.com

On it, I mentioned what I’m going to do, and put up an opt-in form.

I then created a blog. On it, I will post snippets of information
related to Product Launch Formula. Each post will link back to
that opt-in form. Take a look:

Product Launch Formula 2.0 blog

Then, I took it a step further - by throwing in a mini-network of
Squidoo lenses on the topic of ‘Product Launch Formula 2.0′

The Squidoo lenses in turn point back to the
http://www.Product-Launch-Formula2.com page
with the opt-in form!

Landing Page -> Blog -> Squidoo -> Back to Landing Page

So wherever visitors enter this loop and click, they will get to the opt-in form where they can join my updates list - which is the ‘response’ I’m aiming at with this network.

What’s a Squidoo network?

This is:

• Product Launch Formula 2.0 lens
• Product Launch Formula 2 lens
• Product Launch Formula 2 Reviews lens
• Product Launch Formula Review lens
• Product Launch Formula Reviews
• PLF Review lens
• PLF2 Review
• PLF 2.0 Review
• PLF 2
• PLF lens
• PLF2 lens

I explain it further in my ‘Advanced Squidoo Profits’ report -
you can order a copy here (and get my ‘Squidoo Marketing Secrets’
report as a bonus for FREE!)

Image credit www.li.lv

This is a question Jan Risbergs asked me - as he pointed me to this webpage: Dr. Mani Helps Rescue Riga, Latvia

What set this off?

Over the weekend, I invited my subscribers to a “5 MARKETING MINUTES” event, where I would focus my marketing mind (for 5 full minutes) on any marketing challenge or problem they faced.

The most fascinating, exciting and challenging question I received was Jan’s. So I tried to answer the question:

Can Dr.Mani’s Wisdom Save Riga, Latvia?

I came up with 12 different ideas to build buzz and drive a FLOOD of visitors to the site who would vote for Riga, Latvia and give it a chance to get on the MONOPOLY “Here & Now, World Edition” version of the famous boardgame.

And in the process, learned (and studied) 2 fascinating things:

1. A lovely city in a lovely country I had barely heard about - Riga, Latvia. See an awesome Latvia website here:

Where is Latvia? What about it?

2. An innovative buzz-builder by one of the world’s biggest toy-makers, with a twist that’s sure to drive sales of the ‘new’ MONOPOLY:

MONOPOLY - Here & Now, World Edition: Vote for a City

There’s passionate support for the voting process, just see this discussion on a forum called “Vote for Riga in Monopoly”

And that passion is what communicated itself to me - and got me to write this blog post inviting YOU to participate and help Riga, Latvia get on the new MONOPOLY board game.

Won’t you help, please? Vote here

And if you have any thoughts/ideas about how else Jan could push this along, please share them here. Remember - the voting ends in 72 hours, so literally…

“YOU have 5 minutes to save a country!”

Update: In less than an hour after I wrote to Jan, he had updated his website with my 12 ideas… so you can read them from the link at the top of this page: Dr.Mani Helps Riga, Latvia