But if you get all of that right, how do you know if anyone is listening? Social Media is all about engaging in a conversation and creating a viral message that others share because the find it valuable and interesting. They share your information so they can be seen with the cool kids, those in the know, the experts. They share information because they want to show their friends how valuable they can be…even if just by association.

In fact – I’m doing that right now! =)

I read a great article about how to get more people to LISTEN and SHARE the things you post from Social Media Examiner and wanted to pass it along. It is based on a study done by New York Times and Latitude Research and they came up with some interesting findings.

Here’s a summary of why people aren’t sharing what you are saying with their spheres of influence:

1. They Don’t Trust You.

2. They Don’t Care About Your Brand.

3. Your Posts are Boring.

4. They Care About Causes More Than Brands.

5. They Share to Build Relationships with Others.

6. They are Looking for Validation.

7. They Share to Manage Information.

8. You’ve Misunderstood Your Audience.

9. They are More Personal in Email.

Check out the Social Media Examiner article or review the research right from the source.

So … was this valuable? Are you gonna share it?

The following blog post is intended to be utilized for educational purposes only. It is not meant to defame or shed negative light onto any person, entity, company or organization. Any reference made to actual persons have been removed unless those references are to promote that person or entity in a positive way. No opinion, express or implied, is being given on the person or persons whose identities have been removed from this post. Any opinions expressed in this article are quoted from other individuals and are not necessarily the opinion of the author of this post.

When I started making a name for myself in the local community as – Trista Polo Internet Business Consultant for AllThatInternet.net – I did it through building relationships at local business events and expos. This was a slow way to go but as I learned this weekend, it is the best way in these transparent and digitally viral times.

It used to be positive media was the way to go. PR firms were tasked with getting good press out there about the person or company and people would read it, believe it and then buy it. Press was always more valuable than advertising because it seems more real and more credible when it is out there in the NEWS.

So getting in the news was a big win for a local business owner. It allowed them to take a step up above their competition because they were recognized by local media as being special enough to warrant NEWS.

Well it seems that is no longer true.

My husband signed up for a local news paper subscription recently and – as a sign of the times – he lets it sit in its green bag on the driveway while he peruses the news on his smart phone before even getting out of bed. This weekend he came across a profile for a local business owner – a landscaper – that had a nice write-up about his background, keys to success and a company profile.

Great press. Nice picture. Put him a leg-up above his competition .. and there is a lot of competition among landscapers so good for him, right?

Wrong. If you read the paper virtually and happen to click on the comments for this particular article, you would realize that this was actually the worst possible press he could have received.

In a world of digital, viral, virtual, social we are not just shown what the news outlets want us to see but we have an opportunity to see what everyone else thinks about any given subject. Comments on videos, blogs and news articles allow the public to have a voice. The voice is now the NEWS.

I am finding out about the biggest news items first from twitter on my smart phone mobile app instead of seeing it on the evening news or hearing it on the radio. I am exposed not only to the news but people’s opinions about it – a much broader view of the world than when I was limited to the news from limited sources.

In the case of this landscaper, it is unfortunate that public opinion did not support the positive spin the article created. Because even though it states all “comments (should be) smart and civil. (And not) attack other readers personally,” that’s not what I always see. When people have an emotional charge about a situation, the guidelines are sometimes ignored.

Check it out at www.scoreulster.org

Social Networking as a Business Tool

He has started to gear his advertising and marketing toward a more female audience and his web site is no exception. I am confident that we will be able to meet these goals and am happy to report that our new social networking strategic consultations will fit well in that strategy as well.

It turns out business owners whose businesses target a female demographic benefit greatly from the integrative social media widgets available through our web and internet marketing solution. According to comScore, women worldwide spend 30% more time on social networking sites than their male counterparts.

So not only will we work to assist our newest client with his web design to appeal to a more feminine audience, he will be able to take advantage of our social networking promotional avenues with ease.

Our dedicated team of Social Media Marketing specialsts can guide the business owner through the social marketing process to help the thrive on the most popular social media sites. The result – a shifting tide bringing more customers to the business’ door step.

We have integrated Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, GoogleTalk, Yelp, Youtube, Groupon and LinkedIn and we have only just begun.

Our goal is to help our customers increase retention and broaden their customer base.

We will be updating you on the many enhancements coming. If you are a current AllThatInternet.net customer, you can contact our Social Media Marketing Specialists today and learn how to start utilizing these exciting enhancements right away.

Social Media Marketing Perry Belcher – Click here for more home videos

Enjoy! Post comments. I’d love to know your thoughts.

- Trista Polo, Website Development and Business Owner Development