I recently read an article titled “6 New Terms to Use When Measuring Social Marketing Efforts” and thought it worthy of sharing.

You see, most of us know these terms and use them on a daily basis – this puts the terms into a social setting and helps you get a better perspective. The follow is the terms;

1.Attractions. It’s not quantity but quality that matters in social media. Being able to attract a qualified, quality following is a real social marketing skill. It isn’t about spending huge amounts of money to grab people’s momentary attention. It’s about a slow and steady build of identifying and reaching the right people and then connecting with them for the long term. Did you just spend $250,000 on a funny series of videos and got 23,000 fans on your Facebook Page? Sucker. Most of those people will ignore you from here on out. They may have clicked “Like” during your campaign, but they really don’t care. Are you attracting the right people ,or are they just empty numbers?

2.Participations. Your investment in developing content should be measurable. But what is the value of a comment, or a “like” on your status update? A retweet of your tweet? There can be an algorithmic calculation of the relative or exact reach of the participant, the number of posts from you, the number of overall fans or followers. But is it those numbers that matter here? Facebook Insights offers a “Post Quality” metric, a metric calculated on a rolling seven-day basis that uses the percentage of your fans that engage when you post content to your Page. But how else can you calculate participations? And more importantly, how are you appreciating the value of those who are participating with you in your social channels?

3.Interactions. Do you know how to leverage an online community? Once you get a community going, it seems to take on a life of its own. But good community moderation and management means that you can artfully leverage the interactions and turn them into actions. There is value in those interactions, not just between your customers or potential customers and you, but also those between the customers and potential customers themselves. How are you identifying and measuring these interactions? Have you calculated how much time and money you are saving in the long run because of the more direct and intimate customer service interactions you can have in social channels?

4.Actions. There is a vast difference between impressions and actions. Impressions are nebulous because you really have no idea if someone actually saw your ad. Actions are measurable. Social marketing can drive actions, although it often takes some time and a few steps in between. Don’t be turned off by the time it may take to get to the action. There is a great deal of value in the steps between.

5.Transformations. In marketing, a conversion occurs when a prospective customer takes the marketer’s intended action (usually when the customer moves from browsing to buying). But in social marketing, there is another kind of conversion that I’m calling the “transformation.” An example of transformation in social marketing: Picture the disgruntled client who vocalizes his or her frustration or displeasure publicly on Twitter or Facebook, a blog, or any other platform that they can access because of the advent of social media tools. Your company has been listening to the chatter in social channels, and a representative from your company addresses their concerns immediately. That person realizes that you are not only listening but that you care and will work to find a solution to their issue. They transform from angry customer to champion of your company’s brand. There is an incredible value in the transformed customer.

6.Transactions. The transaction is the closing interaction, the goal. Keep in mind that you want these transactions to happen more than one time in many cases. And this does not always refer to a monetary transaction i.e. a sale — that’s easy to measure. A transaction could be signing up for something; filling out a survey; referring a friend; sharing information. What are you trying to get people to do? When they do that, a transaction has occurred. How valuable is that to you? And what are you giving your customers in the transaction? A quality product or service? A discount? Additional perks of some kind? How are you communicating to your customers (or friends, fans and followers) that they are more than a sale? How are you showing them that they are a part of a valuable relationship that you are willing to maintain?

So, these are a few terms put into social perspective – I didn’t write or invent these terms though I do like how they have been layed out to help us better understand what some of the things we are trying to accomplish with our social media strategies.

Let me know what you think.

As Social Media continues to be a huge part of what Businesses need to do in order to help build their brands, I wanted to put together a list of websites that can help you get even more “social” with your business.

 I have compiled a list of 8 websites to help you get started. Facebook and Myspace are crucial however there is a plethora of other site out there too. Here is 8 to get started.

 Xing: Search this global site for business partners, contacts and professional opportunities.

APSense: Tap into an affiliate marketing revenue stream by promoting products and sites on your business profile, and get paid for the friends you refer.

Biznik: Join your local business community to connect and collaborate with nearby entrepreneurs, and find out about local seminars and events.

Entrepreneur Connect: Share ideas, join groups, publish content and promote your business on Entrepreneur’s own network.

FastPitchNetworking: Create a profile, product listings and blog, and take advantage of e-mail marketing and virtual trade shows.

GoBigNetwork: Get serious about fast growth in this startup community focused on finding funding, talent and expert advice.

Konnects: Build a network among other startup entrepreneurs and launch your own branded network when you’re ready.

Marzar: Connect with other business owners while promoting products and services in the marketplace.

Of course there is Facebook and Myspace so now is the time People – The year is ending and if you’re anything like my business, now is the perfect time to get out there with your social marketing.

I recently asked the question to a few small businesses and clients that I’m close with around the country… How effective has Local Search been for your business.  The answers that I’ve been given have been all across the board, some good, some bad but more over what most people say to me is “we don’t use it at all” 

For the businesses that use local search as part of their Internet strategies, you get it… but for the latter, I find this to be fascinating. Let’s look at a few facts about local search and how consumers are online today.

92% of all people are online today and let’s face it, the Internet has become our lifes, both personally and professionally.

97% of people with online access will research products and services online before they buy – we still like to buy from the bricks and motars. 
Interesting enough, 35% of all searches are done with an intent to buy.
and 55% of all local searches are done with an intent to buy.
Of all local searches, 8 out of 10 call or visit a store and 60% of those result in a purchase of some kind.
Times are rapidly changing and traditional advertising mediums are losing their effectiveness.

The internet has changed the way the world communicates, gathers, stores and sends information. However, this global connection has created a problem for the local business in their local markets. Why? Traditional print advertising has become less effective.  Most people have thrown their Yellow Pages away and search online instead and Newspaper’s readership is down over 50% and many papers are declaring bankruptcy.

On the other side of local business and local search is big business. It’s true that search results in general are dominated by large companies. That is proven to be true with Local search as well. The big guys understand that us consumers are smart and we’re looking everywhere for the best deals, including using local search engines.

Business owners reading this post, I hope by now you are reading all there is to read about search, search engine marketing, blogging and anything else related to getting you better exposure with your online presence. We’re doping everyday and we’re a small business just like you!

While doing some research about My Local Lookup, I found an online promotion that this site is having where they are giving away free upgraded listings. I also found their sign up page so you can get a feel for their pricing and what you are receiving for free.

I have to tell you, this little My Local lookup search engine is nice. They get good traffic with around 200,000 to 300,000 unique visits a month. I also learned they are partners with over 40 television stations. Their pricing is right, ranging from $10 a month to the high end of $100 a month, much less expensive than the other options. The high end package includes video and much more. Keep an eye on this search engine, I think it could grow into much more.

So business owners, take a moment to fill out the free upgraded listing, it takes like 2 minutes and your off and running. Let me know your thoughts once you have checked it out by leaving a comment. I’ll be looking at a few other options down the road…