I am a networking junkie. I love being in a room with people I don’t know, hoping to start interesting conversations, build relationships and maybe even get business referrals. But I have noticed that I don’t spend  much time networking face-to-face anymore.

I am still meeting and talking to people and having conversations about business. I am just doing it online. I am not the only person experiencing this transition. It is just the state of business interactions in 2012. When I am challenged by others who don’t think you can’t build “real” relationships on line, I simply refer to one of my first jobs, as an inside sales associate.

In that job, I spent my days building relationships over the telephone. After a while, my regular clients became friends.  I knew what they did over the weekend, what sports teams they followed, and what they were buying their wife for their anniversary (Sometimes I even suggested the gift).

Friendship growing out of a series of phone conversations seemed like the most natural thing in the world. When we met face-to-face, we simply continued the conversations which began over the telephone.

Today, those conversations are taking place in a different format, but the rules are the same:

• Focus on the other person – Make them feel special by retweeting and sharing their content.
• Listen more then you talk – Pay attention to what others are sharing, it will tell you a lot about their interests.
• Ask questions – Find out more. Open a discussion topic with a simple question and see where the conversation takes you.
• Share information on a range of topics. – Don’t be one note. As a person, you have a range of interests. By sharing a little about all the things you are interested in, you are more likely to find others with common interests.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a numbers person.  Despite the fluffy marketing exterior, I am at my core, an ROI add up the numbers kind of person.   I love graphs and charts which turn numbers into pictures. And I believe if you “listen” numbers will tell you stories.

So what stories are the numbers telling us about how small business owners are using social media? A study by  Network Solutions and the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business found many of the same trends we saw in our own study last spring.  Small business owners are expanding their online presence, with plans to continue to grow that presence this year.

More than 56% of small business owners have websites.  That is up 10% from a year ago, and another 10% expect to develop their websites this year. Surprisingly, the number of companies using online advertising and directories actually dropped in 2010.  My guess is this has more to do with economic pressures to contain cost then a move away from the medium, because projections for 2011 jump significantly.

While still lagging behind other internet mediums, social media is experiencing explosive growth, with use of both Facebook and LinkedIn almost doubling in just one year.  Location based services are gaining traction as well.

In contrast, twitter seems to be growing much slower then other media counterparts.  We saw the same thing in our local study.  While we had plenty of response to our Facebook study, we could not collect enough data to make the twitter survey results meaningful.  I think this is because twitter is the hardest of the tools to understand.  Used for personal and business, I think business owners struggle to find the right voice, and the results take longer to see.

What lies ahead for small business owners and internet marketing, I am not sure, but the “numbers” give us a glimpse of what is to come.

Want to see more of the statistics, be sure to check out the rest of the article on Marketing Profs.com

Social Media Training for Small Business Owners

Social media is a necessary part of any small business marketing plan, and choosing the correct tools and using them effectively are keys to its success. Lorraine Ball and Allison Carter take you through these new communication avenues, and provide tips on how to apply them to your social media strategy. Admission to this class is free, but seating is limited, so register below!

Social Media Stew

March 29 3:30- 5:00pm

Sandler Training Trustpoint

6666 E. 75th Street, Indianapolis

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This is a multi-step process which begins with a smart Web Design, and is expanded with an organized social media strategy to drive traffic, followed by conversion plans and drip campaigns to bring people back.

Small Business Sales and Marketing Seminar

Now that the new year is up and running, it is a great time to hone those sales and marketing skills. We are offering a class this spring designed to help you better understand your customers  and use your website to cultivate relationships with them.

Team taught by our own Lorraine Ball, and Matt Nettleton, a sales coach at Sandler Training Trustpointe, you will learn the lifetime value of a customer, communication strategies for the customer lifecycle, and how your marketing and sales work together to drive your bottom line. Admission is free, but space is limited, so make sure you register soon!

From Random Strangers to Raving Fans

March 15, 3:00-5:00pm

Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices

6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis

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What is social media?  On a regular basis I am asked this question, and as well as I know the answer, I often struggle to find the right words to explain it to a novice, because I am too close to it every day.

I love this video by Common Craft.  It does a great job of explaining how social media works in language the novice can be comfortable with.

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Social Media Survey  Part Two:  How do You Use Facebook?

We are conducting a follow up to our first social media survey, and would love to know how you  use Facebook in your business. It is only 20 questions and we would love to add your answers to the study.  Go to  Facebook  study .

I have had the weekend to process my thoughts about Day One of Blog Indiana.  First comment: Noah and Shawn once again put on a great show.  This years event was absolutely the best, and I am sorry I couldn’t participate for both days.

I have stacks of notes, (ok Megs of digital notes) lots to think about and lots to share.  Here are just a few of my key takeaways from the day:

• @JasonFalls – Social Media Explorer opened the conference with a presentation on making social media a conversation.  I have heard Jason speak on several occasions before this, and I always enjoy his sensible approach to social media.  Friday was no exception.  There was so much content  in his presentation, but the core was the idea that you need to build trust.  And the things you do to build trust on line is not all that different then what you do to build trust off line.  More from this session
• IU East is a small school, making big waves with social media.  Taking an integrated approach, tying their media together ( print and eResources) and getting everyone, even the Chancellor of the university involved they are one of the most engaged universities.  Sure IU Bloomington, has many, many, many more students connected to their fan page, but when you look at real engagement : Likes and Comments per post compared to the total number of fans, IUE outperforms Bloomington.  This session really made me  think about who are my peers and competition on line.   It may not be companies of the same size at all.
• Jeremy Dearringer, the CEO of Slingshot SEO, had some interesting information to share about what affects your online reputation.  What stood out most for me the most was how quickly negative information can spread.  70% of surfers will click on negative result first.  You have to have a lot of very positive information to combat a little negative press.   The other really powerful element was the fact that people search for company names more often then key words.  And when they do, the conversion is significantly higher.
• A look behind the scenes at Scotty’s was great.  While I was sorry I didn’t get to see @brewhouse himself, he was well represented by Bruce McClain.  And that was an important part of the message – To be successful, your social media strategy has to grow out beyond the owner!

That is just a start.  There are a few more longer posts in the works with themes inspired by other sessions.  And I can’t wait for the video to see what I missed.  what did you learn at BIN2010?

My good friend Dave Anderson has asked me to be part of his Lunch and Learn program next week.   The topic is social media, and I will be sharing the panel with some of my favorite local social media experts; Colin Clark, Dave Anderson and Michael Reynolds.

The event will be from 11:30 – 1:00 on December 2nd, at the Fox and Hound on 82nd Street in the Castleton Area. There is no cost to attend the informal event, but RSVP’s are requested since space is limited.

Hope to see you there, for what is sure to be a lively conversation!

When I worked in retail, we always looked at the traffic in the store as the first sign of what kind of day lay ahead.   Lots of people, usually meant someone would be buying something!

As I work with clients, many who are not in retail businesses, I can use the measures from their  internet marketing to get a feel for the “traffic” to their business.

I  review with them raw traffic, page views and time on site. I can point to the number of people who viewed a particular page or blog post, track where they came from and identify the most effective ads.

The numbers are fascinating, but with all this tracking and viewing it is easy to lose track of the real object … CUSTOMERS!

Back in my retail life, there were days the store was filled with browsers who didn’t buy; sometimes the same thing happens on a website.  The trick is to convert window shoppers to buyers.

Now, not every business can ” sell ” products on-line.  However, every business can use their website to create leads and move prospects along the sales process.

One strategy is to offer free reports, white papers or other resources.  Instead of a simple download, require visitors to provide at least an email address to receive the information.   Sometimes, people will give you a bogus email address, but most people who are interested in the content provide real contact information.  Now you have permission to reconnect and send follow up information to move the prospect closer to a purchase.

We have always had a sign up form for our newsletter on our website but these free offers, like the one below have been much more effective in generating interest.

If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm.

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Written by Jay Mattingly

I only have two weeks of summer left before classes pick back up, and I look back wondering where the last three months have gone. It seems like just yesterday I first stepped into the Roundpeg office.

I was lucky enough to spend my summer making an impact in ways that will hopefully last long after I’ve gone back to school. Throughout the last few months, as most of you know, we’ve been working tirelessly on a redesign of the Roundpeg website. The new site has slowly taken shape over the last month and should be up soon.

I spent most of the summer learning about web design and social media, but what I will really treasure about the last three months goes far beyond that. I learned how to be a part of a team and accomplish something that each member can be proud of. I learned how to be curious and participate. I learned how to play a role in creating something bigger than myself. And I learned how to care about more than just a grade. On top of that, I met a ton of great people in the Indy business community.

I’m really excited about the new site. Hopefully all of you will agree that it’s a huge upgrade over the old site, and each member of the Roundpeg team played an integral role in its development.

I began this summer hoping to be part of something great. And, looking back, I’m proud to say that I was.

Often I when I talk to small business owners about adding a blog to their website, I get more then just a little resistance. They don’t understand how this relatively informal means of communication can have business value.   Valori Maltoni has written a great post talking about why this strategy makes sense for small business owners.  She says:

Blogs allow you to:

• provide topical and relevant information and resources regularly, become an appointment
• receive feedback from your readers and engage them in discussion that are relevant to them
• distribute your content more widely thanks to Google and the larger business community online

They allow your readers and customers to:

• receive regular updates from you when and if they want them
• share the resources and tips you provide with their network
• find you through search thanks to keywords and tags that describe their problem

Even with all these compelling reasons I still get push back, so I have changed my tactic.  Small business owners don’t need a blog, just a resource page!  A place they can post the latest news about the company, new products, industry trends, and the occasional comment from a customer.

And the most efficient way to bundle this information?  Well that would be a blog.  But I have found if i sell the benefits and never use the “b” word it is a much easier sale!