By: Art Basmajian

Using social media is an excellent way to promote business for free; and you, the serious entrepreneur who have been doing online marketing for quite some time, are probably learning this.

And that’s because you’ve now been branded as a SPAMMER!One of the blessings of Web 2.0 is online social networking. A lot of people use these to remain in constant communication with friends, to meet new acquaintances, and develop connections that are work-related; however, people are always looking abuse this wonderful service. And this is especially true with social networking online.An Internet property is simply a web page; and any web page that allows social interaction is considered social media. Web 2.0 is another name for sites that allow people to contribute material to it.

A blog is web 2.0 (for the blogger), Facebook and MySpace are web 2.0, Flickr and Twitter are web 2.0, and social bookmarking sites are all web 2.0.

As internet marketing evolved, people figured out that they were able to promote their businesses for free using all these types of properties and thought, “WowFree Cool!”

Problem is that it’s not cool!

Social media, loosely defined, allows you to use a piece of Internet property for yourself and to advertise your business – to a certain extent. Etiquette, of course, should tell you when to stop, especially when you’re already pissing off certain kinds of people that have a lot of power online. If you cross this line, you’re jeopardizing your reputation as a serious and reputable Internet entrepreneur.

Take a look at it this way:

It’s the weekend – time to forget about work, catch up with old friends, make some new friends possibly. So you go to a party. You’re having a great time. Then someone comes up to you, introduces himself, and immediately tries selling you on some business opportunity.

Isn’t that such a big turn-off? This scenario actually happens when people start using social media sites in the wrong way.

To be a really serious businessman, you need to understand that social media is for making friends and not money. Like conducting businesses face to face, this is how online marketing should be done. There is a specific place and time for business. Social networking is one way of making connections and learning something about your potential business contacts.

Nobody likes to be force-fed. Building lasting relationships takes time and requires a mutual respect, and so does building a loyal following for your business.

To get all the latest tips, tricks, and tactics about internet marketing, be sure to visit us at Serious Entrepreneurs.  http://www.articleblogdirectory.com/wp-content/uploads/ArtBasmajian27.jpg]

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Do you know what…with all the marketing techniques available to every small business owner, all the training, all the books and all the Gurus out there telling us what to do (and what not to do) to market our businesses; there is just one tiny problem. All the resources in the world, won’t overcome the fear of being in the limelight.

It’s the one thing that I think actually prevents small business men and women, really get to grips with sales and marketing. They know what they should be doing, they understand the strategy, they recognise that they need to market themselves and logically that its really important.  

But what do they do instead?  They tip-toe around the edges, spend loads of  time fine tuning certain aspects of their marketing (like their website, and their brochure or are obssessed with their business cards)…until it’s too late.  I know one person who spent 3 years on their website before launching it!!

But I am convinced that if you’ve never been in sales before, have never had to sell yourself before – that it doesn’t matter how many resources are thrown at you, how many manuals, books or CD’s or MP3 downloads you have. The fear of stepping up, stepping out and putting yourself, your products and your reputation on the line (with no safety net of a big corporate to clean up after you by the way) – can be a massive hurdle to overcome for some people.

Why is this?

I was listening to a superb teleclass given by Steve Chandler of Club Fearless.  He was answering a question sent in by a small business owner who wasn’t making any sales. They had a fabulous product, they loved what they did – but the fear of ‘getting out there’ was stalling their progress. They wanted to be successful – but it was such a big leap from being an inspired creative person – to turn themselves into a invincible, dynamic and fearless marketer who was prepared to throw themselves into the lions den to promote themselves, (and risk others saying that they hate their stuff).

So the answer to that challenge has to be in your own mind surely? I began to ask myself the question – what is the one thing that you need, to stand on the stage/sales platform with confidence (even if that platform is the phone,  the seminar, or the networking lunch meeting)?  

Isn’t sales like learning to swim, playing your first recorder solo at school, or reciting a poem in class? Some of us never ever get over that initial terror of being the one that everyone is looking at when it’s show time - Some people never have the guts to go for it. Whereas others just do it anyway, regardless of how scary it is. Some just keep having a go, until it gets easier, and easier and easier.  They are prepared to make an arse of themselves in the process. 

So, if that’s you and you’re sitting there with the realisation that “nobody’s coming” to rescue you and do your sales for you – what are your options? And when you think again “nobody’s going to even tell me the answer to that statement” – what do you do next?

Wait – you do have actually some options….what if you

• Took one small action today to move yourself forward
• Did something big today to move yourself forward
• Found a friendly audience

I remember turning up to give a talk to find a tiny audience waiting for me  - but then I thought “hey cool! I can practise  for the really big gig, with this little audience – it all helps!”.  Or the time when only one person turned up to my new networking group.  I thought to myself “Hey – cool – I get to make all the mistakes tonight and only one person will know. Fantastic!”.

So – if you’re thinking “It’s just me. Nobody’s coming”. Get over it and find the courage, borrow the strength, copy someone else’s strategy, pretend. Just find it from somewhere before it’s too late.

Tell me your experiences of getting over the fear of selling yourself.

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What marketing strategies REALLY work for small businesses, and what are their feelings about another alternative strategy – Social Media?

Well, it really depends which side of the fence your on doesn’t it?

Meaning that if you’re a small business which is still using traditional methods, i.e. direct sales, telesales, yellow pages, and networking, you could assume that Social Media or using the internet is indeed ‘The Dark Side’.  Phrases such as “trivial” “unethical” “glib” “superficial”"trashy” “just for kids” “unsecure” “childish nonsense” are commenly thrown at it. 

However, if you’ve actually bothered to find out what Social Media REALLY is – i.e. one of the most powerful mass influence strategies ever devised – you may well conclude that those on the ‘Dark Side’ are those businesses who’re still waiting for it to catch on and watching what everyone else is doing as they honestly believe is a passing trend.  Unfortunately ‘everyone else’ are the very individuals who’ve grasped what Social Media is very quickly and are running with it (i.e. using Facebook, Twitter and Linked In) and benefitting from it nicely already thank you.

Is the Dark Side a realm of traditional tried and tested, reliable methods, but which paradoxically for a Small Business are actually expensive, complex and for the inexperienced a complete waste of money?  Things like sending out flyers, writing sales letters (which require endless follow up with more letters and more phone calls) and costly telesales?  Is it something that they would ‘like to have’ – possibly need but can’t actually afford?

Whereas enter Social Media another ‘reality’ where for the uninitiated you’re only going to be wasting your entire day having meaningless conversations with total strangers whose only agenda is to sell someting to you, or waste your time on trivial nonsense?

But wait?

Surely a comparison is in order here – some statistics would help wouldn’t they?  Well no actually, because there are many business owners who’ve already seen these stats and are still saying “well…but why do I want to meet a million people online?  I prefer meeting people in person.”  OK what are you counterparts and competitors doing?  Is Social Media working for them?  Are they in fact galloping away and tripling their revenue? Is there any proof that absolutely convincingly concludes this question once and for all?  Does Social Media actually work?

The anwer lies really in what outcome you’re looking for.   If you want more customers, even some peoople when presented with the overwhelming body of evidence the ‘Habeous Corpus’ – still refuse to accept it.  There are some businesses that have exploded online, but despite this not everyone wants to adopt the methods or even the values associated with these business.  But my argument is – do you want to be successful or not, e.g. earn shed loads of money so that you can do more good in the world?

Is it human nature to wait until the tide comes in before acting?  Are there always going to be individuals who will wait on the beach denying the enevitable, while others (the early adopters) eagerly get their surf boards out to welcome in the tide of change? 

Social Media isn’t necessarily about going over to the Dark Side.  It’s actually tapping into the very thing that prevents many business owners from embracing it entirely – preferring to watch and wait and see ‘what everyone else is doing’.  The paradox is that they are prepared to be influenced by a large proportion of the population before they make their choice. 

But why wait to be influenced when you could begin to be one of those businesses influencing large groups of people using Social Media, therefore being seen and heard.  Get it?

What’s your opinion?  Share it here.

But just calm down a minute, because you are not alone and this is really, REALLY common; I confess to being absolutely terrified the first time I went to a networking meeting, AND it was first thing and I am not a morning person. Once I even set my alarm incorrectly so I arrived at 5.45 a.m. instead of 6.45 a.m. (did I feel stupid or what? Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone around to actually WITNESS me feeling completely stupid.) But we can all do with a little bit of help sometimes.  This topic came up again and again in my recent survey as a matter of fact.

Running a business hasn’t all been plain sailing for Suzanne Bolwell-Davies of Flexible HR Ltd as she discovered recently.   Everything was going really well until she ruptured her achilles tendon whilst playing tennis. She’s now in plaster up to her knee and is in a wheel chair or has to get about with the aid of crutches.  Suzanne can’t drive, she can’t even leave her house!  Plus she has a daughter at school, and a business to run.  Hear how she’s been coping …

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I was interviewed by James Watson of www.coacheswebmarketing.com about the marketing strategies I used to promote my book. Listen here.