Today’s focus is social networking persuasion techniques. The big 4 social media giants down to the recreational blogger utilize different forms of persuasion to grow and engage their communities or the communities existing within them. Lets give you some background info. In the video clip below social excerpt Robert Cialdini describes the most powerful persuasion techniques found in marketing.

Read below for a short snapshot of what these 6 core influence principles mean and observe the current time example from our social media world.

1. Authority

Most people have an easier time making the decision to buy something if they are influenced by someone they see as knowledgeable or having authority in a certain industry. Our trust in authority figures enables us to connect with and buy into certain brands more easily. Using other sources i.e. professionals in a similar field, doctors, etc. to help describe or testify about the quality of a product help the public feel as though “if its good enough for them, surely it is good enough for me.” If its someone we know or trust, we will value that testimony even more.

2. Reciprocity

At a very early age we are taught to reciprocate when given something. Cialdini states: “If you give someone something prior to asking them to purchase anything from you they will feel more compelled to buy it now.” This can be seen by marketers who give great free gifts and information. Businesses that can offer something besides the item or service they are selling, such as information or something entertaining, will gain more in the long run. Blogs give you ebooks so you’ll subscribe and share their site. When it boils down to it, if you are already using their product and it becomes far easier to purchase, share and like because you have a relationship with them.

3. Social Proof

People tend to do whatever the crowd or majority are doing. They figure if so many people are all choosing to do the same thing then they could safely do it as well. If our friends like it, chances are we will like it too. Social proofing has become incredibly easy in the social media world we live in now. The integration of social networks into websites and products, the ability to “like” anything, sharing across any platforms – it is easier to socially proof products than ever before. We can find out just how many people “like” that item, how many have shared it and who is talking about it. If everyone loves it, maybe we would too!

4. Liking (Know, Like, Trust)

If people do not know like or trust you they will not buy from you. Your job is to get them to like you through your content. (ad copy, status updates, pictures) Simply put if you want to persuade people to buy from you they need to like and trust you. Put effort in showing the human side. This is why autoresponders and videos are so helpful. It adds a degree of transparency and transparent organization have nothing to hide. By showing staff, your office, and sharing some behind-the-scenes photos – it all adds to the trustworthiness of a business to increase the relationship and to create trust so they make a purchase.

5. Scarcity

The age old supply vs demand principle. “We only have XX amount left and they are selling out fast!” People are more motivated by fear of loss than the joy of gain. Use scarcity to influence the fence sitters to make a decision. Part of scarcity, is making yourself unique. If there is no other one out there like you, then your product is scarce. Take Apple for example. They make a phone, music players, and computers right? No. They make the iPhone, the iPod, and the MacBook. We perceive them as being almost a unique product that’s separate from the entire electronics market. Social media allows the opportunity to make you and your product unique and give you an element of scarcity that drives them to you.

6. Commitment and Consistency

Statistics clearly indicate that if a person commits to a task of sorts they will inevitably complete it as expected. This is the driving force or reason you see so many $1 trials popping up all over. They know that you will stick around because the deal was – check it out for $1 if you like it then PAY $37 next month. Once you’re in, you’re in. Why is this? We have already committed to paying and it is easier to part with $36 then to stop the service altogether. We tend to overvalue a product or service once we have it and his is one of the many quirks in human nature. Use it to your advantage. Offer them something that gets them in the door and using your product and you’ll find out that you won’t lose all of your customers when the price returns to its normal level.

What persuasion techniques do you use?

My good friend Tom Milne of Milne Photography points out that more and more people are coming to his studio to capture that all important professional pose. This increased demand isn’t only for the company website or for job seekers. It’s interest comes from representing that individual to the world via social media.

Social media began as college students being social online not as a professional environment. But today sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are providing businesses and their executives an opportunity to connect where connections may have never existed before. It is difficult to find an Executive with disheveled hair or a seat belt across his tie taken with a mobile phone. We see a thought-out digital representation of the individual.

How do you capture a great professional representation of yourself?

Well, there are many factors to be aware of when capturing a great portrait (Light, lens, environment, outfit, hair, skill, etc..). I want to know what people like you and me can do on our end, what we have control of, to easily facilitate a professional photographer.

On stylishlyme.com I’m primarily know as a style fashion photographer so I decided to get some backup from my good friend Tom of Milne Photography about professional photography. Milne has been passionate about photography since his youth and after 20 years of photography experience, (shooting in the Navy, and running his own studio) and being an award winning photographer, his opinon was a valuable one I’d like to share.

Here are some of the best info from our conversation for you to consider:

Pick the right photographer for you

Selecting the right photographer takes some careful consideration. If you’re not located near Tom Milne, ask around for recommendations, research photographers through their portfolios, locate corporate headshots that you like, and don’t be afraid to interview a photographer you would like to hire. Feeling comfortable is key and having a person you can trust will make the difference between a OK session and a great session!

Remember: as an important rule, you’re likely to get what you pay for.

Know what you want

Just like the other activities involved in branding, business portraits should be well-thought. Some things to think about:

Has your company set a brand standard already? Bring an example of your company’s photos so that your photographer create the same look.

What tone are you trying to express with the photo? Corporate? Serious? Approachable?

Who is your primary audience? Other professionals and businesses or consumers? Or both?

Give yourself time to relax before shooting

Photographers like Tom and I understand that people are not used to being in front of the camera all the time and because of this unfamiliarity they are likely to get nervous about the whole process. The longer you have to relax before beginning, the better.

A great trick is to start the session in your least favorite outfit. Since you might feel nervous and awkward, it’s best to save the best for last when you’re relaxed.

Clothes make the person

Here are some dos and don’ts you should consider:

DO wear solid colors! Patterns can be loud or distracting which will take away from the most important part of the photo: your face!
DON’T wear spaghetti straps or any of those crazy crisscrossed wrap/blouse things.
DO choose shirts that have something of interest around the collar and neckline.
DO bring at least 3 – 5 outfit options. Options, options, options. You’ll appreciate the flexibility when choosing settings, backgrounds, and makeup.
Invest in Options!

Milne highly recommends taking a variety of images in different outfits and settings so that you can keep your image and your various social media presences fresh while maintaining a consistent tone and message.

FYI: Facebook supports a 2×3 crop ratio, which means they’ll display the entire image. Twitter & Gravatars on the other hand uses a square aspect ratio of either 73×73 pixels or 48×48 pixels. Remember that you or Twitter will crop the image to fit inside a square. Keeping these in consideration will make sure your photo is represented well thought our social media presence.

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Having not only a great photographer but the right photographer for you will be get help to your business and your energy in social media. By using the techniques above, I hope you will be able to capture that professional image that will help open doors and create relationships.

- Peter

But many still have the question: What is the difference between social media marketing and content marketing?

The reality is the two overlap, which doesn’t help you understand the concepts easily. Let’s make these two less confusing and overwhelming by focusing on how these two methods compare and contrast.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing like Social Media has many definitions. A simple definition is: any form of direct or indirect marketing that promotes a business through sharing and interactions on the social web. Examples are, Twitter and Facebook updates, forum posts, comments on blogs, videos, images, links are all considered tactics in social media marketing. Social sharing is simplified and personified through one-click sharing and thus creates the simplest form of social media marketing.

The key to successful social media marketing is to keep the conversations and sharing related to your business in order to indirectly promote your business beyond the post. It requires more than effectively starting conversations and encouraging sharing it takes developing relationships with those you are privileged to be in contact with.

Social media marketing differs from content marketing in that it helps you directly market your business. Examples: sharing a discount code on Twitter or a new product/service on Facebook. This direct marketing is used to motivate consumers to act in the short-term. These tactics differ from the long-term objectives that are driven by continuous conversations and sharing of knowledge.

A value aspect of social media marketing comes from it’s ability to help small business owners build brand awareness. It accomplishes this by giving the business more entry points to their content and (hopefully) ubiquitous branded landing pages online. This power is only compounded by blogging and social media participation developed to build relationships with potential customers and online influencers.

Content Marketing

Content marketing takes place both online and offline created and shared for the purpose of directly or indirectly promoting a business. More people and businesses are aware of content marketing due the accessibility of online social networks and social media tools that allow anyone to publish WOW, share-worthy content. This empowerment of publishing content has drastically changed the online environment.

Examples: Blog posts, articles, ebooks, online videos, press releases, videos published online, etc., are types of content marketing used to establish expertise and demonstrate added value to your target market. In many cases, content for indirect marketing may not even relate to your business but as long as it’s helping people it will indirectly build your brand because it builds consumer trust. It gets even better because this type of content might get shared and generate conversations! The power in content marketing comes from the adding value through your published and shared meaningful content, useful content.

When creating an optimal content marketing plans include both online and offline tactics that go through social media marketing tools to create sharing and conversations. Most importantly, content marketing establishes credibility, trust and loyalty because you’re helping people and/ or supplying content that intrest them.

Conclusion

Content marketing and social media marketing are not separate entities with some overlap. The only way you can be truly successful in promoting your blog, business, and/or brand through the social web is to integrate your content marketing and social media marketing into one. (Pictured Above) If you only publish a great blog post and forget about it, you’ll get almost nothing out of it. Remember, you need to publish great content and share it with the world for you to reach your goals!

-Peter
CEO of Uhuru Network

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Facebook has made an option available for those individuals that question whether or not to maintain a profile or switch to a Page. You may now convert your personal user profiles to an official business Page, turning all your friends into fans. You can do this at: “Profile To Business Page Migration” tool. You will no longer have to start your page with zero Likes.

For all the businesses worried about loosing their communities when choosing to switch this should come as exciting news. Currently Facebook has not released an announcement about this tool, but TricksFacebook.com and it’s International partners have confirmed it’s available worldwide.

Facebook is offering a new Help Center article on converting profiles to Pages that specifics the steps in the changing process. A user must have a verified account in order to convert the profile into a Page but once the process is started their profile photo will be transferred, and all their friends will be converted into users who Like their Page.

Be aware that conversion will cause you to loose all your photos and wall posts. All other Like connections will be disconnected so please backup your profiles. I recommend using Facebook’s Download Your Information tool.

This Migration to Page will be tremendously valuable for users that began using their profile to promote a small business, but were fearful of hitting Facebook’s 500 friend limit. It will also allow those promoting a business with a personal profile to begin using third-party Page applications that allow them to set up a Like-gated landing page, run contests, collect email addresses, and recreate functionality from websites.
-Peter
CEO of Uhuru Network

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

There’s no excuse not to blog – even if you’re not able to put much effort into writing posts. Google acknowledges that web results will give relevant and up-to-date information as search results. A blog allows you to provide the updated content in an effective and easy way.

I stress the necessity of personal brands often (Personal Branding in a 2.5 world) and if your like the many who work tirelessly to build a strong personal brand to empower your business or generate opportunities I say with conviction, you need a blog!

Frequently associating your name with blog content will allow your name to rank high in searches for your name, even when the blog is updated only a few times a month. If you already have hosting this effort shouldn’t cost you more than the domain, under $20USD a year. A minor investment to help your online persona and secure your personal brand.

This is the tip of the iceberg, and shows there’s even a minor reward with minimal effort. I am not condoning little effort – the more you put in, the more you get out. A blog is powerful and can accelerate your personal brand in many ways:

• Blog about your industry to establish you  as an expert/authority.
• Readers and subscribers can recommend or become potential customers.
• Building a community of readers will allow you to leverage loyalty to support non-blogging activities, products or services.
• Blogging helps create notoriety which shows your premium value and thus allows you to charge premium prices.
• Blogging can lead to network opportunities with other influential bloggers that can open great cross-promotional opportunities.
• Popular bloggers often get interviewed, which provides an opportunity to promote your personal brand to a new audience.
• Successful blogs can lead to other publishing opportunities, book deals, and potential lucrative activities.
• A blog may also serve as your portfolio. If you’re a freelance writer/blogger, you will need to own and run your own blog to be successful. If you’re a web developer/designer, a well designed blog will help sell your services to potential customers. Blog posts should demonstrate your skills and expertise in your field.

-Peter

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Social media will not be ignored. Social media may be difficult to grasp and that’s ok, even the industry leaders define “Social Media” differently.

Definitions

1. Duct Tape Marketing – Social media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value

2. About.com – Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication

3. Brian Solis – Social Media is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. It is the shift from a broadcast mechanism, one-to-many, to a many-to-many model, rooted in conversations between authors, people, and peers

4. iContact - An umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures

5. The Financial Brand – Social media isn’t about the media, it’s about being social

Peter Lang -  Social media is user generated content that is shared over the internet by applications and technologies that encourage engagement, sharing and collaboration

As you can see from above there is certainly a wide range of definitions. Like it or not more and more businesses are using it. Hotels are finding that marketing via social media has become a fantastic way of finding and connecting with potential and current customers. Putting it simply, the Directors of Sales can’t take your name from your credit card and friend you on Facebook. But there are many other ways to find and connect with guests. If you’re a hotel owner, General Manger or  any other managerial position you should truly consider participating. From my experience working with hotel properties I’ve included what I consider the best ways hotels should be using social media.

Best ways

Tweet – Begin by creating a front desk twitter account. Have your literature and staff share with guests that they can get immediate answers to their questions without having to call or talk with a staff member.

Facebook – Create a Facebook Page. Keep up with the changes and write solid content about the hospitality industry, freely.

Customize Content – Landing Pages is the example I will use for this example. A Local Hotel (shown on the left) and the Corporate Brand (shown on the right).

Emphasis on your Niche – All brands have a particular demographic, but take it deeper. If your hotel offers a wonderful honeymooners suite, or beautiful venue of weddings – make sure you’re promoting your hotel as a wedding hotel. Social media empowers niche marketing in that you can focus and tailor copy to your target market.

Encourage Networking  – Hotel staff frequent networking events, mixers and seminars and should rightfully connect with those people on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc

Introduce/Highlight – You’re staff is extremely valuable. Share with us the people behind the brand.

Blog – A website is automatic but brand-blogging is growing in importance. As search continues to become more social it is the dynamic content that will position the highest. (Position aka “top listing on Google, Bing, etc.) If you have a Blog (website is still default, yes), listen to my next words very carefully… GOOGLE ANALYTICS.

Protect the brand and your job – Policy is important. Every day I hear about employment termination due to social networking, microblogs, etc… Read: Fired Over a Post on Facebook

Bad Publicity – Oh I said it. It will happen. People will find something wrong with anything and post comments on social media sites. Trip advisor, Google Reviews on Places listings, Yahoo reviews, and Yelp. I’ve linked to the recommended response sections of each listed.

Positive Reviews – Share with your community through any distribution method you have access to all the great positive reviews you receive. Post on Twitter, Facebook, and website so people know what your hotel has to offer.

Competition – The hospitality industry tends to have high turnover with staff migrating between properties. But when it gets down to it if two properties are competing for rooms knowing your competition will pay dividends in your properties success. If you’re not listening to your competition online you’re missing out. How are you competing if you have no idea what your competition is doing? Rhetorical, you’re not.

Engagement - Get permission, I refer written, to take pictures and videos at the mixers, parties, meetings, conferences, managers reception, and so on and tell them they can get the pictures on your Facebook Page. Or twitpic the person that moment.

Hiring – Use social media connections when looking for staff. You will have less employee turnover if you find people who align with the dynamics of the property.

Get permission from your guests to take some pictures or videos at wedding and parties. Feature them on your social media sites so that others can see what you’re offering and how much fun people are having at your hotel. That will make people want to stay with you, too.

At least have

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://www.hootsuite.com/

Conclusion

Social media can be a powerful tool for hotels, if used correctly. Remember to use social media personally, therefore when it comes to business you’ll be able to engage and enjoy the time online and most importantly evolve with the technology. Social media allows you to supercharge engagement, make guests happy and generate more stays and ultimately more exposure, influence and revenue.

-Peter

Better Communication

People have asked for better ways to keep up with activity on their Page. You will now be able to interact with other Pages that “like” your Page as your Page. That’s right! This empowers administrators to receive notifications about fan activity, Like and comment on other Pages as your Page, and get your own News Feed that aggregates content by Pages you like. Changing the need for 3rd party aggregators like: http://www.hyperalerts.no/

More Opportunities for Expression

Featured photos of your Page’s most recent experiences will now appear at the top of your Page, like your profile. You can highlight other Pages you are connected with as well as the people who are managing your Page New branding elements and designs will sure be integrated into Pages much like Profile options.

Improve Relevancy

There is more to learn so take the tour yourself and please remember to read the manual! MANUAL –> Facebook’s New Pages

Shots from the tour.

- @peterlang

Facebook is a wonderland of opportunity for local businesses. It not only allows you to target ads but you and your business can engage with fans. Sadly this is not the case for most local businesses. They are not using Facebook effectively and instead are seriously using it to their disadvantage. Far to often businesses are using Facebook like any other ad channel – this tool was meant to be used, to engage with people! I’ve listed some of the most common mistakes small local businesses make on Facebook and how these mistakes may be corrected.

1. Invite everyone they know/met to fan their Facebook Page

It’s not wise to invite people from New York to fan your California clam chowder. Does it make sense to invite other real-estate brokers from Minnesota to fan your Texas real-estate company? Is there a benefit to inviting your competition to fan your page? Rhetorical. The answer is NO! Fan page value comes from the ability to send messages through status update and FB messages to all your fans at one time. The benefit to having non-local fans is primarily valuable to businesses who have actual non-local customers (tourist related business) or giving your competition inside info on your business and what you offer to fans and customers. Realtors, this is directed to you – the value of a page is to be able to connect, message and have a dialog with people in your own area – not other Realtors. So resist the urge to invite your peers (especially those in your region) to fan your page. The numbers game works this way: it’s better to have a small fan page that can convert visitors to clients than a hub where your competition are able to steal your leads!

2. Only update with content related to their business

A local business regardless of the business industry is LOCAL first. To begin, when you update, your posts will have two sides – the business updates and local updates. If you have the inside scoop on sale at a local merchant, inform your fans. You must be engaged in not just your business but also in the city/town itself. This step will help you build new fans that are local and stand as a reminder to your existing community that you are local. Frequency of visits increase if you have something to say that directly relates to their life. Take a dentist for example – people at large won’t need your business information until they have a need or a toothache, but if you post content about dentistry related tips as well as local info like holiday events, you will find they are more likely to remember you as a local dentist when the day arrives where they need your service!

HINT: If you are a dentist – make your profile pic a tooth – if you are a Realtor – include a house in your page profile pic – get it? Help people visually identify what you do right in their status feed! Also maximize your image height 540 pixels by width 180 pixels.

3. Only share status updates and never engage with fans

When a Page fails to respond to fans in comments or they don’t explore their fans and comment on their profile updates local businesses loose a valuable opportunity. The speedy responsiveness of any communication will show visitors that you took the time to comment back. One of the best ways is to thank them for participating in your page!  I recommend that you personally friend your fans. A way to build a stable Facebook relationships is to actively seek to friend your fans from your personal profile. (Read my post on Personal Branding) To manage this strategy you will need to place them in a List titled “FANS.” In your account privacy settings you will be able to block “FANS” from seeing specific content like your personal info, selected albums and wall updates (Lists will allow you to retain a private Facebook environment).

4. Not engaging outside of the fan page

Exploring Facebook fan pages will expose you to the worst habit on Facebook – people and businesses that stay on their own profile and pages and never venture out to of that interface. To grow a page properly with a local following, you need to engage with local people and groups. This means you need to regularly comment on other local friends’ pages and join and engage with local groups. In the range of difficulty this is one of the easiest methods of growing your community. Find local Facebook Groups where locals are chatting. Set goals for your levels of engagement. At least 3 times a day post outside of your pages and profiles. You do this by commenting on other people’s status updates and local groups you become a member of. Successful methods vary but failure is certain if you are 100% sales focused – building relationships so when you post something about your business there are people who care listening.

5. Never let anyone know about their Facebook page

I’m assuming you have a business or are apart of an organization that desires to make money. Money is vital for the business to exist. As much as you advertise your business you will need to advertise your Facebook fan page. Do so by merging your website and your fan page via the fan box widget, add a link to your page on your website and place your fan page url on your personal Facebook profile info tab.

BONUS

GEOLOCATION is the FUTURE, TODAY. Use Facebook Places. List your business on Facebook Places, Gowalla, and Foursquare – or other industry specific sites. Regularly engage with the people and pages that mention your Places profile. Remind your customers to check into your own business everyday to keep your stream active and if you Tweet (which you should), tag the location with your Places profile.

I wish you SUCCESS!

- @peterlang

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Just because you occasionally do the embarrassing and stupid thing doesn’t mean it’s something to include on Facebook. Along the same lines, the Huffington Post provides a slideshow of 13 things you can—but really shouldn’t—tell your Facebook friends. Items that should not be shared include:

• Your birth date and place
• Your mother’s maiden name
• Your home address
• Your long trips away from home
• Your inappropriate photos

Full story at the Huffington Post.

- @peterlang

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Thank you Pedro for sharing.

For more Social Media coverage, follow Peter Lang on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook