Guest Post: Published with Permission

MY BUZZ BOX
by Laura Stamps © For 19 years I’ve run a small press publishing company called Kittyfeather Press (http://www.KittyfeatherPress.blogspot.com). I’m a novelist, and I write a series of magickal urban fantasy novels. Women are my primary market, so I also fill my novels with useful information of interest to women, like how to shrink uterine fibroids naturally, how to survive perimenopause (grin!), how to care for feral cats, etc. You could say I write entertaining as well as nourishing fiction.

We all know markets fragment and change from year to year. Last year my niche markets shifted almost entirely to the internet for much of their shopping, so in February I changed 99% of my marketing to online tactics. A large part of that involved creating a consistent buzz on the web for my novels.

First, I studied SEO (search engine optimization) techniques and learned how to redesign my site to be Google search engine friendly. Next, I researched the major keyword phrases for my niche markets and restructured the copy on my site to include that information. This is what I anchor my “buzz” to, channeling all my marketing efforts toward the same goal, which is to increase the flow of quality traffic to my site. And quality traffic converts into a steady stream of novel sales.

I discovered lots of buzz techniques that worked for me, and in order to keep them organized I created what I call my “Buzz Box.” I store my Buzz Marketing plan on index cards in a 3×5 index card box. I created a category divider for each buzz strategy and file the different parts of each strategy on individual index cards. For example, when I join a new forum, I make a separate index card for that forum containing the link, my user-name, and password information, and then file it under the “Forums” category. My Buzz Box sits next to my computer, so I can easily work from it every day. I quickly realized it was unrealistic to think I could hit every category every day. It just takes too much time. But if I work from three or four different categories each day that is enough to insure my buzz campaign remains consistent.

These are the categories in my Buzz Box:

1.) Classified Ad Blaster (http://www.AdSubmitter.com). Every day I place classified ads for my novels through this service on 1070 free classified ad sites across the internet. In my case, the value of this for buzz is not so much in the response I receive from my ads on those 1070 sites, but in the fact that many of the ads show up in the Google search engine. That means an online classified ad should not be structured in the same way as an ad appearing in a print magazine. The titles of my ads contain the major keyword phrases for my market. I word the body of the ad in a way that makes it easy for someone using the search engines to go to my site from there. Because of this, my website link is listed first in the ad, rather than last. There is only so much room in a Google search engine listing, so it’s important for your website to be the first thing they see after the title of your ad.

2.) Press Release Blaster (http://www.sanepr.com). This free service places my press releases on hundreds of websites. Once again, if the headline of your press release is keyword rich, your press releases will show up in the search engines for months, creating a constant buzz for your products.

3.) Article Directories. This strategy allows me to write articles on topics of interest to my target markets, which end up on hundreds of websites seeking free content. As the author, I am given a resource box at the bottom of each article to include a line or two about my business and a live link to my website.

4.) Blogs. I make it a habit to comment on high traffic blogs of interest to my target markets. All of these blogs highlight my website link with each of my comments. This is a great way to expand my market and funnel more traffic to my site.

5.) Google Groups (http://groups.google.com) and Yahoo Groups (http://groups.yahoo.com). I am a big fan of these groups, and have sold lots of books to their members. No matter your market, there is a group for it. Probably more than one. Join as many as you feel comfortable participating in. I say this because some groups are very large and have thousands of members. To create a buzz with groups always sign your posts with a “sig.” Your sig (signature) should include your name, company or tagline, and your website link. Some groups don’t allow live links in a post, so only join those that do. My experience has been that I will begin receiving book orders within a week of joining a new group, probably because I am reaching a large group of people with each post.

6.) Forums. Join the largest forums that cater to your target markets. Like groups, most allow a sig. And only join those that do. Also fill out your profile completely, and include live links to your website. I have found it takes a little longer to begin receiving orders from forum members, but well worth the wait. And it goes without saying if your sig is rich in the keyword phrases for your target markets your forum posts will begin to show up in the search engines, creating even more buzz.

7.) Social Networking sites. There are so many out there now besides MySpace. I belong to Linkedin and Goodreads. Social networking sites are perfect for networking with your target markets and channeling quality traffic to your website. Once again, be sure to fill out your profile page completely with as much information about your business as allowed, including live links to your website.

8.) Viral Mailings to My In-house Email List. Every day I gain new people for my in-house email list through my Buzz Marketing. It is only natural that some of the people you meet during the course of your buzz marketing campaign will become friends as well as customers and will ask to be on your list. I send viral email mailings to my list every month. These email mailings feature news about my novels, articles I have sent to the article directories, or my current press release. I always choose something with great pass-along value, and I encourage the people on my in-house list to forward these mailings to friends of theirs who would also benefit from this information. Once again, this viral technique creates more buzz for me.

The important thing to keep in mind with social networking sites, groups, forums, and blogs is these are primarily opportunities to network. Since your sig or profile contains advertising for your company/product you should never mention your product in a post unless someone asks you about it. Posts are not for advertising, and if you abuse that rule, you will be labeled a spammer and kicked out or worse. So have a good time and let your sig/profile do all the buzz work for you. It’s also important to only join groups and forums centered around topics you enjoy. Then a buzz strategy becomes a lot of fun. Now you can spend your marketing time networking, talking about subjects you love, and making lots of new friends, while your sig and profile pages do all the selling. What could be better? For me my Buzz Box is a win/win marketing strategy, and I look forward to opening that box every morning!

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Thanks Laura! It is really valuable to see a complete picture like this of what is working with someone. I am off to buy some Index Cards.

The Anatomy of your Web Presence

Part 1: The Brain

Welcome to the 13 part series:  The Anatomy of your Web Presence.  We will be looking at different issues around web development, promotion, management, writing and Buzz Marketing.  This series is not just about your website.  It is about having a life on the web.  Developing your web presence is more than a website.  It is interacting with people, setting strategic goals, working, playing and growing.

Part 1 is the brain.  We start with the brain because it is the most important aspect of having a successful web presence.  The rest of the body is just a bunch of tools that should be aligned with accomplishing the goals set by the brain.  This web view mirrors our real brain.  Our brain is the control center for the central nervous system.  Instead of pumping blood, our web presence will be pumping information.  Information is the life source of who you are on the web.

The brain is where you will think about your goals and desired outcomes.  Your brain will have to analyze the time you spend on the web and assess the value that is gained.

The questions and activities in this document are some of the same kinds of thing that a high-priced web analyst would ask when reviewing your website.  It is also the kind of thing a mentor or coach will help you explore to improve your business.

The reason these people are successful at helping you is that they are not blinded by the big picture and they focus in on specialized questions and topics that they know can have a big impact.  This does not mean they are easy.  What it does mean is you can develop a list of activities to improve your web presence and work towards your goals.

What stops most people from doing this?  Unfortunately, the brain is often overlooked by people when developing a web presence. Here are some of the attitudes and behaviors people adopt because they do not take the time to think about their goals.

I never get results from the web

This common statement can be heard from many business owners who spent too much money or time setting up a basic website and then waited for people to start coming to them.  When their giddy excitement died they assumed it is the fault of the Internet, and could not actually be their unrealistic expectations and limited web presence.

If this describes you, don’t despair.  Many website owners set them up and forget about them when the phone does not start ringing off the hook.  You need to reassess your goals and set realistic expectations.  Then you need to begin using your brain to build up your web presence bit by bit.

I can write a script….

Some people give up quickly, and others are on a never ending quest for short cuts.  Sometimes these short cuts can pay off and generate revenue but there are a variety of reasons they are a bad idea.

If you are practicing techniques to build lots of information that is pulled from other resources, you are hoping to capitalize on other people’s brains but not using your own.  Google and the other search engines are always combating these kinds of activities.  Even if you find a trick that works, it is only a matter of time before it gets shut down.  Then you are off on a new quest to find a new trick to make money.

If you are writing scipts to pull in data, you know that your techniques can change any day.  Develop a great online presence that does not use these black hat techniques and begin to phase out the old short cuts while building up a legitimate audience.

Voyeur Tendencies

A voyeur is a brain that reads other people’s writing or watches their video but rarely contributes.  This is also sometimes called a lurker in chat rooms, message boards and such.  If your goal is to help people get to know you are find your website, you cannot stay invisible. 

People yearn to see their message boards and blogs commented on.  One of the biggest complaints I hear from people that run these kinds of sites is that it is difficult to get people to comment.  People visiting, on the other hand, often doubt that what they have to say is valuable enough so they do not say a thing.

Do not be a voyeur.  Make meaningful, interesting comments and it is OK if they are not a masterpiece.  Just don’t do the old “Nice site” comment as it will probably get marked as SPAM.  Instead, say something about the topic that is interesting.

Techno-phobic Brain

You have met people like this before. “I don’t know technology”, they say.

This has less to do with skills and abilities, and more to do with your brain’s ability to get outside its comfort zone and try something new.  I bet many of the people that say they do not have technology have a cell phone and a DVD player.  Those are technical.

The key to getting your brain past its techno-phobia is to be willing to try something new and to understand that technology continues to get simpler.  Writing a website used to be somewhat tricky for non-html people.  Now there are many content management systems out there that make it simpler than using your word processor.  And if your website is still too difficult, you cannot possibly tell me a blog is too hard.  You will in the title and write the paragraphs.  Two fields and hit save.

Not technical is not an excuse.  Just say you are not interested in being successful on the web.  That is far more sincere.

Busy Busy Bee

Some people spend a great deal of time on the web and never get anywhere.  These are the people with huge networks or lots of websites, but they are not making any money.  This happens with someone is focused on activity and not outcome.  Your brain, and a deep breath, are what help you set goals and deadlines so that you can analyze your activities and eliminate those that do not pay off.

Of course, it is not always about the money but at some point there has to be a reward for your effort, unless is it strictly recreational.

Put your brain in charge

So now let’s agree on a few things.  The brain is in charge.  The brain does not do things for the sake of doing them.  It is goal driven and seeks to create good, healthy habits that will enhance the health and well-being of your entire web presence, and it will work to eliminate those things that damage the web presence or take away valuable time and energy.

The brain must set goals, collect and disseminate data and change activities and objectives when necessary.  Without being emotionally attached to your current products, websites and activities, I’d like you to turn on your web presence brain and focus on setting goals and objectives with the following website goal worksheet.

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Overall Web Presence Mission:  

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Instructions:  A good web presence strategy keeps the mission in mind but understands that some people will move faster than others.  For this reason, a tiered set of goals must be created.  We look for a three by three set of goals for optimum results. Tier 1:  These outcomes are usually the purchase of your premium items or services.

#1

#2

#3

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Tier 2: These outcomes are mid-range purchases.  Books, eBooks, sign up for a webinar, etc. #1

#2

#3

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Tier 3: Free outcomes that can later lead to higher tiered outcomes.  Sign up for newsletter, download presentation, etc. #1

#2

#3

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Now do a complete review of your core website or blog.  You should have one central location as your primary brand and focused resource for accomplishing your goals.  For example, http://www.buzzoodle.com/ was simplified to only have items that can be purchased or signed up for on it.  One week after the simplification, our target pages went from 3% of the hits to 22% of the hits.  We used our brain to focus on the goals and get rid of the fluff. Does this mean we eliminated content?  No.  Content is too valuable to be slashed and burned when you are making changes.  We simply stopped internally linking to the old pages that were making the site seem busy and we produce most of our new content on our blogs and other websites, such as http://blog.buzzoodle.com/ and http://marketing.buzzoodle.com/.  Those sites act as engines to draw in readers and the interested visitors end up on the website that is focused on the goals.

The web has the ability to help people anywhere find you and follow your lead to your goals.  Use the brain to think link someone else that has stumbled upon your website or blog.  Ask these questions for every page you create:

• Is the subject of the page clear?
• Who is the company or person behind the site?
• Is the next step clear if I am interested in the subject?
• Do you ask for the sale?
• Does this resource provide value to the reader?

Every single page of your website or blog could be the first page someone starts on, if they arrived via a referral link or search engine.  Do you build every page with a goal in mind?

Next, ask yourself if the next step is compelling.  The figures vary depending on what study you look at, but it is well documented that people spend a few seconds at the most on a webpage.  Do you have headlines or something else compelling enough to stop them in their tracks and get them to pay attention?

The brain is there to think and plan.  Go back through your goals and look at how easy it is to achieve these goals from your main web resource.   Can you remove things that are distractions to your goals?  Can you make it easy to spot your main objectives in one to two seconds?  Are you giving people a reason to stay or junking up the property with advertisements and links?

Your success depends on your ability to use the web presence brain to make decisions on the kind of materials you put on the web, the clarity of the

This concludes Anatomy of Your Web Presence:  Part 1 – The Brain.

You may view all thirteen parts of Anatomy of your Web Presence at http://blog.buzzoodle.com/index.php/2007/07/16/do-you-have-a-living-breathing-web-presence/ once they are complete.

Next:  Anatomy of your Web Presence: Part 2 – The Eyes

Want to create more buzz? Higher visibility and more referrals sound good? Then you will have to do more than hand out your business card. You need to make a lasting impression that sticks. Here are some simple things you can do to make a more memorable impression.

Follow Up, Twice.

Face the facts. Most of us do not follow up with everyone we meet. We know we should, but unless they expressed a hot interest in our widgets (things we are selling) then we may put the stack of business cards in a pile and keep putting off the follow up. And really, is following up once going to make a lasting impression? We are just doing what we are supposed to. How about following up twice? Now that would impress me.

Make the Journey Down the Rabbit Hole Easy

When you do get some interest, the first thing someone usually does to find out more about you is call your 4th grade teacher and ask what you were like as a 9 year old. When this proves to be too much of a hassle, they may also turn to Google and see what dirt they can dig up. If you have a blog, websites, interviews and a lot more out there about you, the google search results will make a lasting impression on someone.

Be Cool and Simple

Don’t talk too much and don’t sell a laundry list. Boil your core message down to a passionate, simple and easy to communicate message and then let them ask questions.

Show who you know

Name droppers are bores. But there is a really great way to show off who you know and no one is going to complain. Bring people together. Make introductions and be sure that every great person in your network gets to meet other great people in your network. Making great introductions is a great way to become everyone’s favorite guy or gal.

My Best Friend

This one is tricky. Don’t hold back praise. Speak highly of others and publically. Sometimes you can feel you are sticking your neck out, but there is more up side here than down. I really notice someone when I find them speaking so highly of me. Sometimes I am baffled because these people have never met me or barely know me and they are heaping on praise, and I think, they shouldn’t do that. It is too much. But wow do I notice them and want to give back to them.

Side note here though is – don’t fake it. If you feel it, be excited to share it.

Fight Ordinary Every Day

Every day you wake up and you have the opportunity to make it an ordinary day, or an extrordinary one. Make the decision to make it extrordinary early and you will have an added boost of energy and enthusiasm for the entire day. One of the things I hear the most from people I meet in person is, “Wow, you really love what you do…”

You can make some minor changes in attitude and behaviors that will make a lasting impression on the people you meet.

Please leave comments on this post about things you do to make a lasting impression.

SEO – Search Engine Optimization – is a specialty that has been around for a long time. Buzz Marketing is a vague term that seems to be taking on more the meaning of creating a buzz in social media / Web 2.0 stuff and less meaning around the big and crazy stuff that gets people lots of buzz.

At a conference on Friday, it was interesting to hear an SEO person say she was now doing Buzz Marketing. I always thought of her as an SEO specialist, but more and more, buzz marketing is generating more content and getting more links, which is a great SEO strategy.

So you might ask yourself, are they the same thing?

No. SEO is the practice of targeting particular keywords and getting particular pages to rank highly for those keywords. A good SEO specialist will look at how your website is structured, the words in links, the text on the pages, the invisible (META) information of a webpage and who is linking to the pages. They will recommend places to buy ads and pay for directory listings. They will also attempt to get people to link to your page with the keywords anchored in the text of the link, because search engines use that information to help them rank pages.

Buzz Marketing helps SEO a great deal because it creates more content on a regular basis, which gives you more chances to appear in search engines for a higher number of terms, even though it is unlikely you take the time to optimize the message. – For example, this blog gets lots of hits from search engines because it has over 650 articles, not from any intentional optimization strategy. Buzz Marketing also encourages participation in the Internet as a social media. So you can generate inbound links all over the web to your website.

Those are simple definitions and in both cases, much more can be done. But for the sake of this post, let me move on.

I see that more and more of us are moving to some middle area. I do some SEO. I program sometimes. I am a marketer, a software developer, a data analyst, a PR specialist, a publisher, an author, a speaker, a blogger, a graphic designer, … I am not showing off. We are all taking on more and more rolls. I cannot hire someone every time I need an image cropped or a simple form put on the web.

So are SEO people morphing into Buzz Marketers? Probably.

Here is why: SEO serves some clients really well. Buzz Marketing has some other advantages that serve some clients really well. It just depends on the client and their needs.

Take cost out of the picture. Having someone do these things for you is time consuming either way. It takes research, analysis and tweaking all the time for either of these things to work well.

Advantages of SEO

The advantage of SEO is that it does not take constant creation of new content. Instead, the website owner opts to focus their attention on getting a few pages to rank on the first pages of search engines like Google and Yahoo. This is a very good strategy if:

• Owner does not want to create content regularly.
• Owner has specific terms they can target for. (This works really well with specific product names)
• Website plays small role in company marketing plan.

Advantages of Buzz Marketing

Buzz Marketing has some advantages as well. It captures more listings in search engines for a particular term. For example, you may be listed 3 or 4 times in the top 20 spots in search engines. You may also get incredible spikes in traffic from word of mouth or viral messages that you did not even create. You are a good candidate for Buzz Marketing if:

• You like to create regular content or can pay someone to do so. (Such as blogging)
• You enjoy surfing the web, participating in online groups and doing online networking.
• You would like to be seen as an expert in your field.
• You can make creating buzz a daily habit, or can hire someone to be your online advocate daily.

SEO and Buzz Marketing are different. If you can do both, it is great. If you must focus your time, use the above information to decide which approach is right for you.

I frequently talk about the value of giving.  If you give people value, they often reward you by creating some buzz.

So I started out reading Make It Great, which led me to dmiracle – Healthy Web Design, where I read this post about removing the no follow tag from comment links.  I then followed the link to Andy Beard, and finally to the site where I downloaded and installed the plug in.

My whole education took 10 minutes.  And now you will be happy to know that if you comment on this blog, Google will treat the link like a real link and boost your website ranking.  Remember, to get past the sensor, your comment has to be reasonably free of nonsense and meaningless dribble.  I reserve those topics for me.

I did a presentation a while back to a group of designers in Atlanta.  One thing that many of them got excited about was blogging.  Several have emailed me the blogs they have started, and Mark Cutler really seems to have his taking off in short order.  It has added to his search engine ranking and he has around 80 people a day visiting only a few months after starting.

Of his success he writes: I have created a bond with someone who grew up a half mile away from me in Australia, who I had never met, but also has a design blog, and she had actually posted examples of my work, not knowing I was Australian, and we linked our blogs before she knew it was my work that she was posting. On a more practical note, my rating appearance on Google and Yahoo have skyrocketed to the first page, which is helpful.

He has done interior design for Jennifer Lopez, Vanna White and Steve Carell to name a few, and now he is leveraging his blog to get more information out, build more relationships and work towards publishing a book.

I think that a blog for designers is such a natural componant of what they do.  They can make a stunning and interesting blog just by documenting what they do in images.

Josh Hinds of Business Networking Advice sent me a very kind email that requested an interview opportunity.  What kind of a buzz marketer would I be if I said No?  But instead of just saying, “Sure, I will impart my fabulous wisdom to you.” I did a little research and asked him to answer some Networking questions for you readers as well.

Josh regularly does interviews on his blog.  This is a technique we suggest people use to create more content and build your network.  My first question was about that.

1) Does doing interviews help you expand your network? Tell me the best example of something that came out of an interview.

Josh Hinds Answer:

Without a doubt doing the interviews has been beneficial in strengthening my existing network and meeting new people.

It’s interesting, when I started the site (BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com) I originally envisioned it as a way to strengthen my existing network as I would be interviewing folks I already knew and giving them an opportunity to share their insights with the BusinessNetworkingAdvice community.

What’s been particularly interesting is that often the people I’ve interviewed tend to refer people they know or have connections with to read their own interview, as well as share the resource in other places. I certainly don’t expect them to do it, but it seems to be a natural occurrence.

Another rewarding thing that happens is the interviews I’ve done in some instances have been good sources for connections — from people in my own network as well as folks I have never met before. Occasionally I will get a note from someone that was interviewed on the site saying they were contacted by someone who learned about them from their particular interview. The opportunities that open up are almost infinite.

Effective networking in my humble opinion is all about creating, win, win, relationships. What I particularly like about doing the site is that through the interviews it’s an opportunity to add a third win to the original win, win. In that the person who happens to read the advice shared also gains valuable insights, and in some instances can use it as a chance to reach out and connect with someone they might not have been able to otherwise.

A long time ago I made the commitment to being a life long learner. While one of the topics I speak on professionally is effective networking — I’m not above learning something new (hopefully everyone reading this agrees) and doing the interviews on the site is the ultimate opportunity to learn from others in a wide variety of industries and varying backgrounds. I learn as much from each interview as my readers do.

2) It is easy to network in your region. What are the best techniques for expanding your network to other regions?

Josh Hinds Answer:

If you’re starting out fresh you’d want to identify the people you already know who are connected in some way to the group it is that you want to make a connection with.

Once you’ve identified those people before you jump out there and start asking others to recommend you, you’ve got to remember a golden rule in networking… always put in way more value then you expect to get in return (especially at the front end of the connection/relationship).

If you’ve got a strong relationship with a person in your network already, certainly you can ask them for ideas on making connections, but you want to be very careful so that you aren’t putting them in an uncomfortable position. Some would read this and take issue with the fact that it might be uncomfortable to refer another person to those they know.

Even still suffice it to say, it pays (literally) to give people an easy out if they aren’t able to help. For example, when I’m asking for potential interviews for the site, I’m always aware of people’s time. Time is an invaluable asset.

That being the case most of the time I will include a little mention saying I certainly understand if they’re not able to do the interview, because of time restraints or for whatever reason, but that I did want to ask them about it. Most of the time folks are more than happy to participate, but at least I’m giving them the opportunity to decline if need be.

Again, the point is you want to communicate to people that you’re going to make it as convenient for them as possible to work with you or be associated with you. Remember, always give more than you expect to receive. As the saying goes, givers receive (but only when they’re giving genuinely without giving only because they think they’ll benefit as a result of doing so).

If you are looking to expand your network in areas where you don’t have any existing connections a great place to start is by doing a google search. Say for example you were looking to network with people involved in a particular industry. What you could do is search for sites or blogs that deal with the particular interest and participate in the community. After you’ve taken the time to get to know the people in the community, or the particular site owner you might consider dropping them a message. Focus on them. I can’t stress this enough. Focus on the other persons wants and needs first — in doing so you’ll build rapport and avoid doing what 95% of the other folks who write to them do by focusing on how they can help themselves first.

Along the same line you could also search for and participate in forums or message boards which target the particular group you want to network with. You could do a search for magazines or trade publications which would be of interest to the particular types of people you want to meet and connect with. Often the publications website will have an area on it that outlines how you can submit articles for review to be used on the site or in the magazine or publication. If you have truly valuable knowledge to share you might find yourself getting exposure that way. This can go a long way towards positioning yourself as an expert in the minds of the very people you want to grow connections with.

You could also search directly for industry associations and focus on making connections that way. At the risk of sounding like a recorded message it’s worth stating again that you want to focus on how you can help the other person first. It’s very unlikely that you’re going to be the first person to ever try any of the ideas I’m suggesting, yet if you focus genuinely on giving value to the other person first the results you receive will go a lot farther than approaching the connection from a “what can you do for me” approach.

Consider the following two very different approaches…

1. You drop a message to the editor of a particular magazine that caters to an industry you are interested in networking in. You say, “Hi, I enjoyed the visit to your site. I’m interested in connecting with your readers. Would you mind referring me to anyone you might know who would have a need for what I have to offer?”

Perhaps you’re not saying it exactly like that, but you might as well be if you’re focusing on your needs first.

Now consider the second example.

2. You drop the following message to an editor in a given industry you have an interest in making connections in. “Hi, I enjoyed my visit to your site. I do a lot of networking and plan to expand my focus on meeting people within this particular industry. Could you e-mail me or send me back some information about your magazine which I could use to recommend to anyone I come into contact with in the future that might have a need for the resources you have to offer?

Notice the difference between the two approaches. The second one focuses on helping the other person. This approach is obviously two parts, where the second part is ongoing. Each time you connect with someone that might benefit from what the editor that you contacted has to offer you simply make the connection on their behalf. What’s interesting is that while the two people you connected will likely benefit, you will benefit indirectly as well because you’ve positioned yourself as someone whose genuinely interested in offering valuable resources. You’ve put the focus on others before yourself. In doing so you’ve also positioned yourself as a genuine giver. When you make the connection you should also give the person you’re recommending to the given resource the opportunity to mention that you sent them their way (if they choose to do so). One final point here is that you don’t want to go about connecting people just for the sake of connecting people. There should be a genuine potential synergy that could develop from your having connected them.

3) How would you define a great network? When does someone know enough people and need to focus on those relationships and stop growing the network?

Josh Hinds Answer:

Ron, that’s a great question. I define effective networking as creating win, win relationships. It sounds a little cliche’ and simplified perhaps, but it’s the simplicity of it that makes it right on target if you ask me. A persons network can encompass both personal and professional relationships, and in some cases it’s certainly the case where the lines between purely professional and personal cross each other.

I would feel my network is moving along in the right direction if I can honestly look at its members and say that no one is falling between the cracks. Am I able to give the individual attention and follow up necessary to stay connected with each person to the level that the particular relationship warrants.

A mistake some people make is thinking that after an initial meeting with another person they’re a member of their network. In fact, what they have is a new acquaintance. When in fact It’s the time and investment they’re willing to put in to further developing the connection with the particular person which determines whether or not they become a trusted and valued member of that persons network.

Sometimes we think of networks in terms of contacts or prospects only. When we do this we run the risk of thinking it’s about quantity versus the quality of the connections we have in our network. Anyone can focus on going out and literally building a vast network. But having large numbers of people you are loosely connected with doesn’t necessarily make a person adept at networking (and even if they met with some success, couldn’t it be multiplied by focusing on quality of the relationship?). So rather than focusing on the quantity of people you connect with, focus instead on developing relationships and becoming valuable in the eyes of the other person.

There’s an interesting thing that happens when a person goes from simply attempting to sell them on their wants and needs to first focusing on effective networking, whereby they create value in the eyes of the other person. The entire dynamic seems to do a 180 degree turn. Because effective networkers position themselves as the person that others seek out and want to do business with. They want to become friends with these people. They want to be associated with those who understand the law of giving first. If you doubt that, be honest with yourself for a moment. How did you feel the last time someone came to you with a proposition that was clearly about what you could do for them?

Essentially what I’m saying is rather than deciding on a set number at which you will stop developing new connections, instead make a commitment to serve those who are already in your network, while at the same time developing value among the new people you meet. Making the decision to serve others is a long term commitment. It takes effort, but it can also be a lot of fun along the way. It’s a commitment worth making and you simply can’t believe the opportunities that will come your way as a result of first making the choice to lead by serving others.

In closing I’d like to finish up with the following thought.

Above all, the members of your network are people. People who have wants and needs of their own. Strive to be the type of person that others enjoy being associated with. If you will do that you can’t imagine the benefits that will come your way. It’s an enviable place to be in the marketplace, and the reality is it’s not all that hard to achieve.

Thanks Josh.  Visit his blog for all kinds of great interviews and networking advice.

Drew McLellan is doing a viral Advice to Grads effort among blogs.  I am speaking to two marketing classes at Kent State today and thought I would kill two birds with one stone.  Here is what I will be telling the marketing students, and it is good advice for any student today.

As early in your college career as possible, start working on this list of things to do.  I can tell you as an employer, if you came in and had done these things, had a good attitude and reasonable expectations, I would not need to interview anyone else.

1. Blog.  Not your My Space blog.  Blog what you are learning, what you see in the industries that interest you.  Connect with other bloggers in that industry.  This is more valuable than any resume.
2. Start a Business and Network. Network online and go to networking events.  Start a little (or big) business so that when you go to a networking event, you are not just saying: “I am a student collecting business cards so I can blast you with my resume later.”  Some ideas are:
   - Website/Blog Design
   - Graphic Design
   - Marketing Assessment
   - Local Guerrilla Marketing
   - Writing
   By doing this, you will have first hand experience that few other graduates had, even you it never becomes a thriving business.
3. Publish Articles.  The web is full of places that you can publish articles.  A future employer will Google your name and the top ten spots can all be you if you use the web to get your message out there.
4. Speak.  Don’t dread speaking.  Look for opportunities to speak any chance you get.  Craft a couple of canned speeches that you can “sell.“  (For the speaking fee or just for the opportunity.)
5. Publish a Book.  OK, now you think I am just wacky.  However, I think publishing a book was a lot easier than college.  If you write a couple of pages a day, you can be published in under a year fairly painlessly.  The key to publishing a book is that it may not make you much money, but it makes everything else easier. 

The key to all of this is picking your areas of interest and establishing yourself as an expert in those areas before you ever ask someone for a job.  Someone that has taken this kind of initiative will not even be looking for an entry level position.  They will be in the running for a more senior position right out of college.

And don’t worry, most of the people reading this will not do it.  You will stand out if you do.

If you are looking for a fun way to meet a few new people, consider finding people with your name. (If you are a John Smith, stop reading now)

Look at this post about two guys named Mark Goren that recently met.

There is a pesky realtor named Ron McDaniel that is the only person keeping me out of owning all the top Google spots.

I have a friend that used to go by Kathy, but had to switch to Katherine because a porn star was going by Kathy and her last name.

For more on names, see what Seth Godin had to say.?

How do you drink 99 bottles of beer? One at a time. How do you do Buzz Marketing on the Internet with all the great tools, communities and resources online? One at a time! – And don’t drink them all in one night unless you have friends to help.

99 Free or low cost tools to spread your message online.

Social Bookmarking / News

• www.digg.com
• del.icio.us
• www.stumbleupon.com
• www.reddit.com
• www.furl.net
• www.netscape.com
• www.blinklist.com
• www.feedmelinks.com
• http://myweb.yahoo.com
• www.newsvine.com
• www.sixapart.com
• blogmarks.net
• www.rojo.com
• www.shoutwire.com
• http://spurl.net
• http://simpy.com
• http://nowpublic.com
• www.blinkbits.com
• http://kinja.com/
• www.blogmemes.net

Online Communities and Contact Management

• www.ning.com
• www.orkut.com
• www.facebook.com
• www.xanga.com
• www.myspace.com
• www.linkedin.com
• www.gobignetwork.com
• http://groups.google.com
• http://groups.yahoo.com/
• http://www.topix.net/
• http://www.meetup.com/
• http://www.bolt.com/
• www.jigsaw.com
• www.plaxo.com
• http://www.gather.com/
• http://wink.com/
• http://doostang.com/
• http://www.listal.com/
• www.ryze.com
• http://www.ziggs.com/
• www.ecademy.com
• www.tribe.net
• www.openbc.com
• www.spoke.com
• http://multiply.com/
• http://www.fastcompany.com/cof/
• http://www.meetro.com/

Blogs and Blog related

• www.BlogCatalog.com
• http://dir.blogflux.com/
• http://www.bloghub.com/
• http://www.blogarama.com/
• http://www.blogwise.com/
• http://www.blogrankings.com/
• www.livejournal.com
• www.blogger.com
• www.typepad.com
• www.movabletype.com
• www.technorati.com
• www.feedburner.com
• www.mybloglog.com
• http://blogsearch.google.com
• http://get.live.com/
• www.zoho.com
• http://www.tblog.com/
• http://lifelogger.com/
• http://www.21publish.com/
• www.pingomatic.com
• www.blogdigger.com
• www.blogwise.com
• www.blogexplosion.com
• www.feedblitz.com

Photo Sharing

• www.flickr.com
• www.tablo.com
• www.fotolog.com/
• www.photobucket.com
• http://zoto.com/
• http://www.photosite.com/

Advanced Media

• www.youtube.com
• http://www.dailymotion.com/
• www.odeo.com
• www.podcastalley.com
• http://www.podcast.net/
• www.podscope.com
• www.itunes.com
• http://podcasts.yahoo.com
• www.podcastpickle.com
• www.freeconferencecall.com

Web Publishing

• http://www.siteproplus.com/
• www.squidoo.com
• www.work.com
• http://pbwiki.com
• www.craigslist.com
• http://www.ehow.com/
• www.prweb.com
• www.prfree.com
• www.free-press-release.com
• www.prleap.com
• www.webwire.com
• www.theopenpress.com

PLEASE use the comments on this post to let us know if any of these are great, bad or we missed any great ones that people should use.

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