September, 2009

Your company's customers are talking about your brand right now on Myspace, Facebook and other blogs, forums and chat rooms in ways that you haven't approved. You can bet that conversations with your customer service representatives and your customers will find their way on Youtube and so will any other form of advertising and promotion you do in reference to your products, services and even the corporate values that you promote. The very values that associate your company with it's brand. The CEO or president of your company is going to some day get wind of what is happening and ask for help from you and your colleagues to find a way to tone down this surge of people speaking their minds. It will come like a hurricane from a thousand sources and wash over a traditional business. Like any storm it cannot be stopped in one section to save another. It cannot be stopped at all. This is the movement that these clever and informative authors call the Groundswell. They say that “while you can't stop it, you can understand it. You can not only live with it; you can thrive in it. No business or industry, product or service, large or small can afford to not begin today to create the strategy and approach needed to begin to find ways to be involved in this movement.

I had the opportunity to listen and speak with David Meerman Scott through a private telephone session he hosted for Duct Tape Marketing Coaches on the New Rules of Marketing and PR. Below, are some key points that may give you a fresh perspective on how to enhance your credibility online.

1. The old ways to get noticed were to buy expensive advertising and beg the media to write about you and your products. The best way to get noticed today is to publish great content online.

2. Don't talk about what your products and services do. Instead talk about how you solve problems for your customers.

3. Be enthusiastic and have fun. People want to do business with people they like.

4. Don't rely on spamming the media with your press releases and PR pitches.

5. Use press releases to reach buyers directly.

6. Comment on blogs, forums and chat rooms (but don't talk about your products and services).

7. Read the popular books in your market and write a review on Amazon. Use your real name and affiliation.

8. Shoot a short video and put it up onto YouTube

9. Know what search terms people are using to find products and services like yours and create content that search engines will reward with high search engine rankings.

10. Don't be egotistical. Nobody cares about you and your products. Your buyers care about themselves and solving their problems.

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About the Author

Cidnee Stephen is the owner of Strategies for Success – a marketing company that focuses on the needs of budget minded small businesses and professional services. She has helped hundreds of small businesses get out of their peak and valley ruts to finally achieve that next vital level of success. Cidnee is also a sought after speaker, writer and blogger on marketing topics that affect small businesses and B2B service based operations.

Feel free to use this article as long as you include the following: by Cidnee Stephen of Strategies for Success http://www.strategiesforsuccess.ca