The Digital Handshake : Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media

Practical applications for using social media to boost your business Even today's most successful businesses are seeing shrinking returns on their advertising and marketing dollars. The Digital Handshake explains why advertising and marketing are losing their effectiveness and how to solve the problem using social media to corral elusive consumers. It explains the best practical business applications in current use and how you can use them to ramp up your business. Using case studies gleaned from real businesses, author Paul Chaney shows you how companies both large and small that can tap social media to mitigate market changes and reap valuable business benefit in the real world. Explains how you can use social media to grow your business and connect with consumers Author Paul Chaney is a leading authority on blogging and social media Covers practical, effective business applications for blogging, social networking, online video, microblogging and much more Shows how to design a comprehensive marketing strategy using traditional and new media platforms Today's technology can either undermine your marketing efforts or enhance them. The Digital Handshake helps you make sure the Internet grows your business for the long run. The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 9 FOREWORD: Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs......Page 13 PREFACE: THE INSURGENT CONSUMER......Page 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 17 ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 19 INTRODUCTION: A NEW COMMUNICATIONS PARADIGM......Page 21 PURPOSE OF THE DIGITAL HANDSHAKE......Page 22 WHAT IS A ‘‘DIGITAL HANDSHAKE?’’......Page 24 WHAT’S IN THE DIGITAL HANDSHAKE?......Page 26 WHO THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR......Page 27 PART I: FIVE CONSUMER TRENDS TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN......Page 31 THE INSURGENT CONSUMER AND THE INFLUENCE OF WORD OF MOUTH......Page 33 BOURNE, NOT BOND: CONSUMERS WANT REAL EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES, NOT MARKETING SPEAK......Page 35 WHY THE SKEPTICISM?......Page 36 CONCLUSION......Page 37 MEDIA IN THE SIXTIES: WHEN I WAS MY FATHER’S REMOTE CONTROL......Page 39 MEDIA FRAGMENTATION AND THE ATTENTION ECONOMY......Page 40 AN AGE OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD......Page 42 CONCLUSION......Page 43 FROM COMMAND-AND-CONTROL TO OUT OF CONTROL TO COMMUNITY CONTROL......Page 45 THE EMPOWERED CONSUMER......Page 47 CONCLUSION......Page 49 CHAPTER FOUR: Businesses, Improve Your Aim......Page 51 BUSINESSES ARE BEING FORCED TO IMPROVE TARGETING, INCREASE RELEVANCE, AND MINIMIZE WASTE......Page 52 THE FUTURE OF MARKETING IS IN THE NICHES......Page 54 CONCLUSION......Page 56 CHAPTER FIVE: Customers Are Mad as Hell, and They’re Not Going to Take It Anymore......Page 57 KRYPTONITE: YOU CAN TUG ON SUPERMAN’S CAPE......Page 58 BABYWEARING MOMS GIVE MOTRIN A HEADACHE......Page 60 DELL HELL: FROM FIRESTORM TO IDEASTORM......Page 62 CONCLUSION......Page 65 CHAPTER SIX: What’s a Marketer to Do?......Page 67 WHY SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS AN ANTIDOTE TO THIS MARKETING MALADY......Page 68 THE CONNECTED CONSUMER......Page 72 ADVERTISING IN THE ERA OF THE WEB 2.0......Page 75 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: MAKING A CASE FOR SMALL BUSINESS......Page 76 USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO INFLUENCE THE MARKETPLACE......Page 78 NEW TOOLS REQUIRE NEW RULES......Page 80 PART II: SEVEN PROVEN STRATEGIES TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS......Page 83 CHAPTER SEVEN: Business Blogging: Your Social Media Marketing Headquarters......Page 85 TEN THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU BLOG......Page 87 BLOGGING IS ALIVE AND WELL, IN SPITE OF PREDICTIONS TO THE CONTRARY......Page 93 THE MODEL SMALL-BUSINESS BLOGGER: J. D. ILES AND SIGNS NEVER SLEEP......Page 98 INTEL’S INSIDE SCOOP: HOW LARGE CORPORATIONS ARE USING BLOGS......Page 100 HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS BLOG......Page 101 WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?......Page 106 CHAPTER EIGHT: Social Networks Strengthen Your Social Graph......Page 107 SOCIAL NETWORKING BEST PRACTICES......Page 109 THE THREE MOST POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR BUSINESS, AND WHY YOU SHOULD USE THEM (A CORD OF THREE STRANDS IS NOT EASILY BROKEN)......Page 112 LINKEDIN IS YOUR BUSINESS SUIT......Page 113 FACEBOOK IS BUSINESS CASUAL......Page 115 TWITTER IS THE SOCIAL NETWORKING COCKTAIL PARTY......Page 121 OTHER BUSINESS-ORIENTED SOCIAL NETWORKS......Page 122 TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR EFFECTIVE ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING......Page 123 CONCLUSION......Page 126 CHAPTER NINE: Niche Online Communities Can Benefit Your Business......Page 127 THREE TYPES OF ONLINE COMMUNITIES: WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?......Page 128 COMMON COMMUNITY-CREATION MISTAKES......Page 131 KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY CREATION AND MANAGEMENT—ONLINE COMMUNITIES NEED A PERSONAL (EVEN ‘‘PASTORAL’’) TOUCH......Page 134 THE SOCIETY OF WORD OF MOUTH......Page 136 TWITTERMOMS: KITCHEN EXPERIMENT TURNED FULL-TIME BUSINESS......Page 137 INEXPENSIVE TOOLS TO USE IN CREATING YOUR OWN COMMUNITY......Page 139 WHITE-LABEL COMMUNITY PLATFORMS......Page 141 CONCLUSION......Page 143 TWITTER: A LITTLE BIRD THAT STARTED A REVOLUTION......Page 145 WHAT IS TWITTER AND HOW DOES IT WORK?......Page 146 TWITTER RULES OF THE ROAD......Page 149 TIPS ON USING TWITTER......Page 152 HOW TO GET STARTED USING TWITTER FOR BUSINESS......Page 153 TWITTER CASE STUDIES......Page 158 OTHER MICROBLOGGING PLATFORMS......Page 163 WHEN DOES THE ‘‘MAGIC’’ HAPPEN?......Page 164 CHAPTER ELEVEN: Lights! Camera! Action! Use Online Video to Market Your Business......Page 167 THE SMALL-CAMERA REVOLUTION......Page 168 BENEFITS TO USING ONLINE VIDEO......Page 172 GOALS FOR BUSINESS USE OF ONLINE VIDEO......Page 173 SIX WAYS BUSINESSES CAN USE ONLINE VIDEO......Page 174 EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO CREATE VIDEO CONTENT......Page 176 YOUTUBE AND OTHER VIDEO SHARING SITES......Page 177 CONCLUSION......Page 178 WHAT IS A PODCAST?......Page 179 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PODCASTING......Page 180 BENEFITS TO USING PODCASTS......Page 181 PODCASTING RESOURCES......Page 182 EASY WAYS TO CREATE A PODCAST......Page 185 THREE EXAMPLES OF BUSINESS-ORIENTED PODCASTS......Page 186 CONCLUSION......Page 192 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PR 2.0......Page 193 PITCH ENGINE MAKES SMR CREATION SIMPLE......Page 196 PRWEB COMBINES TRADITIONAL, SOCIAL, AND SEARCH......Page 198 USE PITCH ENGINE AND PRWEB IN TANDEM......Page 199 CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSROOM......Page 200 CONCLUSION......Page 201 SOCIAL MEDIA TAGGING AND BOOKMARKING......Page 203 CUSTOMER REVIEWS AND RATINGS......Page 206 CUSTOMER SERVICE APPLICATIONS......Page 207 RSS: THE PLUMBING SYSTEM OF THE INTERNET......Page 208 A WORD ABOUT WIKIS......Page 211 MOBILE MARKETING: THE AGE OF THE iPHONE HAS ARRIVED......Page 212 CONCLUSION......Page 213 PART III: PUTTING THE TOOLS TO GOOD USE......Page 215 CREATE AN ENGAGING WEB SITE......Page 217 DON’T FORSAKE THE USE OF E-MAIL......Page 221 MARKETING VIA SEARCH ENGINES......Page 224 CONCLUSION......Page 225 MONITORING AND MANAGING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION......Page 227 BENEFITS TO MONITORING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION......Page 229 TWO WAYS TO MONITOR YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION......Page 230 CONCLUSION......Page 233 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Now That You’ve Listened, It’s Time to Engage......Page 235 JOIN THE CONVERSATION: GET A SEAT AT SOMEONE ELSE’S TABLE......Page 236 START A CONVERSATION: SET A TABLE OF YOUR OWN......Page 238 CONCLUSION......Page 240 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Social Media Marketing Plan......Page 241 DON’T MEASURE EVERYTHING; DO MEASURE THE RIGHT THINGS......Page 242 QUANTITATIVE VS. QUALITATIVE METRICS......Page 243 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING MEASUREMENT TOOLS......Page 247 CONCLUSION......Page 248 CONCLUSION......Page 251 NOTES......Page 255 INDEX......Page 263

Traditional marketing tactics aren't bringing in customers like they used to, and even today's most successful businesses are suffering shrinking returns on their advertising and marketing investment. The Digital Handshake explains this phenomenon and reveals seven effective, proven strategies for using new media and online tools to find new customers and keep them.

Marketing is no longer a one-way street, but an engagement in a conversation with customers and potential customers. The Digital Handshake shows you how to introduce yourself to the online world and engage customers via new media tools like blogs, social networks, online video, podcasting, mobile marketing, customer ratings systems, and Twitter.

Using real case studies, social media authority Paul Chaney shows you how to design a comprehensive marketing and advertising campaign that enhances traditional marketing efforts with an entire suite of new media applications. He provides practical Web 2.0 solutions for real-world business problems, including how to counter negative perceptions about your brand or company, reward those who speak well of you online, and generate brand awareness and positive impressions.

Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn are growing by leaps and bounds, connecting people in profound new ways and changing the way communities and individuals buy. Tomorrow's best companies will be those who can most effectively use social media to connect with consumers, ramp up branding efforts, and grow their online presence.

New technology can either undermine your marketing efforts or enhance them. Don't be left behind. The Digital Handshake is a tactical and practical guide for non-technical business leaders who want to leverage the new media tools like social networks to positively affect their bottom line.

A new communications paradigm Consumer skepticism is at an all-time high Media is fragmented and so is the audience Who's in control of the marketing message? (Guess what, it's not you) Businesses, improve your aim Consumers are mad as hell and they won?t take it anymore What's a marketer to do? start a conversation Business blogging, your social media marketing headquarters Social networks strengthen your social graph Online communities can benefit your business Micro-blogging : social media marketing in 140 characters or less Lights! camera! action! use online video to market your business Podcasting : overlooked, underutilized marketing tool Pr 2.0 : introducing the social media news release Other social media marketing tools A brief word about web sites, email marketing and search Listening is the new marketing Now that you've listened, it's time to engage Measuring the effectiveness of your social media marketing plan.