The World According to Mitch Fanning

Quick, what’s the ROI of email?

How about your laptop, cell phone, business card or even your mother?

Below is a quick and entertaining video of Gary Vaynerchuk talking about the “ROI of Social Media and his mother” [caution: Gary uses a lot of profanity]

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t know, and really don’t care. But not having email in your business could do more harm than good. Its “benefit” is not so much a measurement of return but an implicit cost of doing business (and cheap I might add).

Moreover, depending on your role, it also represents “potential.”

(more…)

Groceries Heather Twining bought for the YWCA Niagara food bank with a $100 in donations.

Earlier this week, I received the following messages from friend and web developer Trevor Twining via my Facebook News Feed:

Simple and to the point, but most importantly, it reminded me that making a difference (and helping others) doesn’t have to be hard work.  It doesn’t have to be time-consuming and you don’t need to be a millionaire philanthropist with your own foundation.

Back to the story…

24 hours later, 7 people (last time I checked) had agreed to make $10-$20 pledges to help the YWCA Niagara with their food bank (including me). Including Trevor’s matching pledges the grand total for the day was $210.

Sending Trevor the pledge was actually the easiest part.  Trevor sent the following message with 3 options for giving your pledge (Paypal, Interac Email money transfer, arranging a “physical” exchange in person):

I chose the “lazy” option, Paypal.

And the point of it all, drum roll please…

The point of this blog post is not to “toot my own horn,” but a gentle reminder (mostly to myself) that doing something good for others takes less time then we often think.  To make a difference, you don’t need to set-up a robust online donation system, spend months planning a large social media outreach campaign, or donate thousands of dollars.

All it takes is you, 7 other people, and a laptop!

Honourable mention goes out to Heather Twining for her mad shopping and coupon ‘skillz’ to ensure the pledges received buys the maximum amount of food for YWCA Niagara food bank.

Photo credit : Trevor and Heather Twining

I often meet with business people who want the following:

• more leads
• more customers/clients
• more sales

Really, if you’re in business, who wouldn’t want those things.  Chances are, if they’re taking to me, they want to get these things using some form of online marketing, search marketing, and/or social media.

At the same time, however, most don’t want to create ongoing useful content in any form via the web.  I find this rather interesting considering that content is the “seed” for search engines and the “outcome” of social media.

Think about it…

When people “consider” purchasing something where do they look for some of their information?

Search engines?

Simple Example

Customer: I need a widget (Search Google)

Search Result from Company X: “10 Widgets That Will Save You Money.” [the seed]

Customer: Are these widgets any good?

Company X: Read our reviews.  Show customer’s friends who has used and/or “liked” these widgets (via Facebook social plug-ins).

Customer: (after doing their own research) I’ll take one.  Customer response on Twitter: “I just bought a widget from Company X and saved X%!” [the outcome]

Customer Loyalty: via blog, email, newsletter, etc. (all content marketing initiatives)

Today’s customer & client want more.

Gone are the days, where a customer or client will call your business, talk to you, and purchase on the spot.  Today, people use search engines to check and compare facts, read reviews, ask friends via social networks, purchase, then share their experiences online.

Content powers your search and social media marketing results.

Today, businesses need to develop and optimize content with their target audience in mind.  They need to develop editorial plans and think like publishers.  They need to develop channels of distribution and social links.  They need to both leverage and understand social media and web analytics to improve results.

What do you think?

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive (Toronto, Canada), a professional member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to mid-sized b2b companies to some of Canada’s fastest growing Internet start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100.

photo credit: 10ch

So you’re eager to harness the awesome power of the web and social media to connect with customers, increase brand awareness, and generate sales.

Great!  Now what?

Well, if the target audience for your business is using social media, which increasingly is the case, it might make sense for you to partner with a social media-related event via event sponsorship. Why would you do such a thing?

Here are five good reasons:

1. Promote Your Website and Social Media Properties

Promotion for any social media event happens through websites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Sponsoring these events usually includes a link back to your business website, Twitter account and Facebook Page.

Therefore, as a result, you’ll most likely notice a spike in traffic to your website and social media properties before, during, and shortly after the event.

2. Align Your Business with the Social Media Savvy

Let’s face it: Social media is growing.  Most businesses are still trying to figure out how to incorporate it into their marketing strategies.  Doesn’t it make sense, then, to align your business with those who already “get it”?  Start by developing relationships with the event organizers, speakers, and participants. By sponsoring a social media event you strategically align yourself with the social media savvy. Ultimately, this can lead to educational and networking opportunities, which potentially could help bring your company’s web presence to the next level.

3. Network with Existing and Potential Customers

Meet the people who tweeted about your business or who “liked” your Facebook post about your event sponsorship.  Take pictures and videos that you can share through social media and “tag” those fans who are pictured in front of your sign or holding your product.

In doing so, you show people the “human” side of your business.  Let’s face it, people do business with people they like and trust.  By coming out to the event and meeting the people who show interest in your business you generate credibility and perhaps even new opportunities.

4. Social Media Drives Viral Word of Mouth

Social Media Club Niagara events promote itself, and its sponsors, through the different social networking websites.  This means your company will be spread around a good number of tweets, Facebook posts, and LinkedIn comments that will help gain visibility for your business.  Because participants of these events like to share through social media, often the viewers of these tweets will end up spreading the word to their own network if they find the information valuable.

Simply put, because these events naturally promote themselves through social media, your business will benefit by riding this viral word of mouth.

5. Generate Conversations Your Business Can Engage In

People use Twitter and Facebook to engage with each other.  If someone “Likes” a comment about your business, why not take it one step further and actually engage with that person?

In this way, you can start trying to bring these new users into your community, adding to your fan base and ideally developing new business from them or their friends sometimes in the feature. Sponsoring social media events gives you the data points and opportunities to engage with your target audience.

Where do you go from here?

If you’re in the Niagara area and looking for an effective way to promote your business using social media consider sponsoring a Social Media Niagara event.

Why not use the fastest-growing (2,475% growth since May 2010 — that’s not a typo) and largest organization of Social Media practitioners and enthusiasts in Niagara as a platform to find leads, increase sales and generate more brand awareness for your business.

Contact me for further information.

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive (Toronto, Canada), a professional member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to mid-sized b2b companies to some of Canada’s fastest growing Internet start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100.


photo credit: James Cridland

When Buddha was asked to sum up his teachings in a single word, he said, “awareness.”

According to Buddha, to find happiness, one must become aware of reality. This awareness of reality – as a Whole – is accessible to anyone who pays attention to actual experience.

However, many people (including yours truly) get so wrapped up in thought they sometimes cannot “see” reality as a Whole. Funny enough, it’s our own thoughts that keep us from becoming “aware.”

The same can be said about online marketing.

I’m not a Zen Master, but when it comes to online marketing, the same basic dilemma exists. People are confused and mystified about the subject. Especially, when it comes to making it work for their business.

As a result, they deal with this confusion the same way they would in their personal lives. They “think” they need (or want) the latest shiny tool, tactic, or superficial outcome. “If only we had more traffic coming to our site, more fans/followers, more newsletter subscribers, more…something.”

The reality many businesses forget is online marketing is not just about having more of something or better web design, twitter account, or SEO. It’s the combination of content, search engine optimization, and social media that creates results – becoming “aware” of (and using) all three in a unified manner is the Zen of Online Marketing.

Effective online marketing starts with educational content.

As long as there are long sales cycles, there will be a need for education. Content that attracts readers through search and social media channels can do its job of teaching and motivating your target audience to act (i.e. click-through, re-tweet, share, comment, reply, contact, sign-up). Remember, without content, Google wouldn’t exist and social communities would have little to share with each other.

Start here – While SEO and Social Media are important, organizations needs to get clear on what their content is (and then create some!) before spending time optimizing these areas. Having educational content (and a home for it) is required to create an effective SEO and Social presence.

Once upon a time, there was something called SEO copywriting.

By placing the right keywords in just the right places and densities one could achieve top rankings in search engines. That’s all you needed, or at least that’s what the “SEO experts” advertised.

Here’s the deal…

Much of what determines the ranking of any page is due to what happens off the page, in the form of links from other sites. Simply put, if your content isn’t good enough to attract authoritative, natural links, it doesn’t matter how “optimized” the content is. That’s why we always start with good educational content (for your target audience).

When it’s good, each piece of content – with it’s unique URL or web address – can be optimized to create a destination for other websites to link to with a clear entry point for search engines and searching.

On its own, SEO, can provide a lift in rankings and traffic, but when combined with educational content and social media marketing it’s like putting rocket fuel in your car.

Attracting links with social media

Getting links naturally has become the hardest part of SEO, which is why we’ve seen the mainstream emergence of social media marketing as a way to attract links with educational content.

Links from social networks and other authoritative websites and blogs can serve as a signal for search engines to decide how to rank your content in the search results. Links from within social networks can send potential clients directly to specific product or services pages.

True, your company may not be ready for social media, but it’s likely that your clients and competitors are already there.

Become a Zen master (of online marketing)

Sure, at first, it might be more exciting to experiment with individual tactics and tools, but to be successful, take a step back and become “aware” of how content, SEO, and social media can work together – as a Whole – in a coordinated effort.

As a buyer of business services, are you influenced by educational content you find online via search and social?

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive (Toronto, Canada), a professional member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands – to mid-sized B2B companies – to some of Canada’s fastest growing Internet start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100. Follow Mitch on his adventures in new media at [mitchellfanning.com].

photo credit: Okko Pyykko