Who's on your short list for spreading your message?

You and I have been told over and over, "Who you know is as important as what you know." But did you know your casual acquaintances are more of an asset to marketing your business than your closest associates and friends?

Let's think about it. The people close to us generally know the same people we do. Neighbors, friends, business colleagues, local vendors, and the list goes on. Of the people you know well, how many of them seem to know everyone? Likely just a few people you know always says, "I know of a person you should get in touch with for such and such" no matter what subject you are discussing. Your friend may not know the person well, but they know of them. This friend or business colleague of yours has been coined a "connector" by Malcolm Gladwell in his book "Tipping Point."

Connectors are the people involved with multiple groups with dissimilar or loosely tied interests; different groups with significantly different networks. Connectors have a knack for casually meeting dozens of people every week due to their diverse interests. Somehow they keep a mental note of all these people and stay in loose contact with them. When a need arises, they always know whom to call.

You don’t necessarily need to be a “connector” yourself – it’s more of a natural talent than learned trait – but you should seek out connectors. They should be the first ones you contact when marketing a new product or service. If you have a marketing associate on your staff, ask them to create a short-list of connectors they know. It is likely one or two of your clients are connectors. Take them to lunch once a month or quarter and make sure they have a clear understanding of your target market and goals for 2006.

Networking isn’t limited to the people you know well. Studies show that the majority of people find new jobs through casual contacts. Can the same be said for new business? Yes, but there is more to the story. Malcolm Gladwell does a good job of explaining the concept in his book “Tipping Point.” It’s a good read and a timely read if you’re preparing your 2006 marketing plan at this time.


Tipping Point

How did they do that? Images in Grey

Images in Grey

How did they do that? This is one of the best blog themes I've ever seen.

Professional Blogger - PR Consultant Redefined

Professional Blogging: The Future

As a communication specialist, I often wondered if writing blog posts for other blogs is a viable offering for my clients. Is it a win-win situation for everyone involved? It appears the answer is yes, as pontificated by Wayne Hurlbert (see link above).

Business blogs are used for marketing, public relations, SEO, and - most importantly - building strong customer relationships that result in more business. While many businesses would like to add a blog to increase their online presence, not all of them can do so cost-effectively. Given the level of technical expertise and the time required to build a respectible blog, most business owners would benefit from this service. It just makes good business sense.

The professional blogger (PR consultant redefined) gets paid to post and the blog owner receives a service that benefits his or her company. If you are interested in this service, gives us a call and we'll see if we can work out a mutually beneficial project.

Most Popular Internet Search Terms of 2005 from Dogpile

Top Results from all the leading search engines, InfoSpace®, Press Room

What is Dogpile? It's all the best search engines piled into one making it easier for users to search more of the Web. 

Top 10

1. Music Lyrics

2. Paris Hilton

3. Google

4. eBay

5. Yahoo

6. Mapquest

7. Games Cheat

8. Games

9. Dogs

10. Top 100 Baby Names

Top Celebrities

1. Paris Hilton

2. Carmen Electra

3. Pamela Anderson

4. Jessica Simpson

5. Britney Spears

6. 50 Cent

7. Lindsey Lohan

8. Jennifer Lopez

9. Green Day

10. Eminem

Music Lyrics

New Music Lyrics "Lens" at Squidoo. If you're not familiar with Squidoo, check out this link and follow the instructions to create your own lens.

I created a "Music Lyrics" Squidoo lens - click the logo to view it. The lens provides a list of links to music lyric sites and brief reviews of the site's contents. I also added a few links to help people learn more about creating their own music. There's a "lyric of the day" to keep the lens fresh.

 

Let's see if Squidoo will actually drive traffic my way. I consider it a "marketing strategy" experiment. I selected "music lyrics" because it was the number one search term in 2005. I was surprised it wasn't already taken. The lens quickly went from a 400,000 plus ranking on Squidoo to a ranking around 1,000 (overnight). I'll let you know how it goes.