Entrepreneurs-Journey.com

Update: The links in this post now point to the sale page for the SMARTS program, since the program went live. If you haven’t seen the video yet, here’s the link: Going Natural 2.0 Video.

Also I called Don Crowther “Dan” in this article and have since fixed it - sorry Don!

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StomperNet have released a new video that provides a fantastic discussion of what Social Marketing is, why it’s so critical to the future of Internet marketing and ends with three (well four really) practical ways you can use social media sites to drive traffic to your site.

Here’s the link -

Social Marketing: Success without SEO, Pay-Per-Click or Affiliates

The video is long - 50 Minutes - and the tips start about half way through, but it’s worth watching from start to finish, especially if you have not looked into using social media and Web 2.0 sites as a means to market your blog or business.

Social Marketing Is Huge

I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep up with all the social media and Web 2.0 talk lately.

Not a day goes by where I don’t get some notification from Facebook and given the growth numbers the site is putting up, it won’t be long until Facebook rivals MySpace, the current traffic leader.

Then there’s YouTube, the video sharing site that apparently every single American who uses the Web goes to watch at least once every day.

…And that only skims the surface. There’s social networking sites like LinkedIn, bookmarking sites like Digg and Delicious and collaborative resource sites like Wikipedia. Plus every day a new Web 2.0 site is born offering yet another way to connect with people and drive traffic back to your site.

It’s so overwhelming, most of the time I just take a quick look at the few sites I frequent or keep profiles at, then go back and post an article to my blog.

However every now and then something comes out about social marketing that I take notice of because I don’t want to be left behind and I trust the source of the information.

The “problem” with social marketing is how different it is to traditional marketing. You can’t even smell like you are trying to sell something or just using the site to build links or traffic back to your site, because as soon as you do - BOOM - you are banned.

To make social marketing work you have to…well…be social. Yeah, not surprising, but very true.

Social marketing is about community participation, but you can have a business agenda. You are there first and foremost to be an active and valuable member of a community and if you are smart, use your profile and connections to drive traffic and links back to your site.

Everything has to be organic and friendly - it’s actually a wonderful way to market a business because it’s like talking to friends. There’s no hard sell because hard sell simply doesn’t work - it’s not even permitted.

How Do Top Marketers React

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It’s been a long time coming, but Rich Schefren finally released his Attention Age Doctrine second installment.

You can get your copy for free by clicking here -

www.strategicprofits.com/doctrinenew/

As you may remember I wrote about the first part of this Doctrine back when it was released in July. The first report thoroughly delved into the world of information overload and highlighted how critical it is to find a way to cut through the noise and get attention.

Rich promised that the second part would provide solutions and recommendations for how to deal with the situation. It took him nearly six months to finally finish it and today he released part two.

The reason it took so long is Rich had a lot to say about this issue - in fact his draft version of the document was up to 300 pages at one point - but he’s cut it down to the most important bits in the final release and it’s now well under 100 pages.

How Will This Document Help You?

I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of the Doctrine part 2 a few days in advance and I read it from start to finish. I also briefly chatted to Rich on the phone about what he is doing.

I’ve been very excited about where Rich was going with his business focus because Rich really is a thought leader when it comes to business strategy. He sees what is going on in the marketplace and then produces reports to tell us about it.

Obviously he has products and seminars to sell as part of these report releases, but they are entirely optional - you can enjoy and learn from the lessons without spending a dime. If you want help and more advice along the same lines, you can join Rich’s program or attend a seminar or purchase one of his study packages. That’s exactly what I did after he released his first Internet Business Manifesto report - I joined his business coaching program after reading it (and I had no idea who he was before that!).

The reason why I am so excited about this new report is the heavy focus on the importance of Web 2.0 - social media, online communities and of course, my favorite topic - blogging.

The main reason you need to download this report, especially if you are a blogger, is to see how important you are and how vital what you write on your blog is to business.

Blogs Are The Focal Point

The Doctrine Part 2 highlights several case studies where the power of the web community has impacted business.

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I woke up early this morning - well early for me - to catch a group coaching call with Rich Schefren. I wanted to ask him some specific questions regarding the future of my business and get his input on how to craft a blogging product offer.

During the call there was a lot of focus on reputation building and blogging, and my name came up several times as a good example of someone who has used a blog to get the attention of the big players in the industry. Obviously it was great to hear my name so positively endorsed by a leading business figure like Rich, but there was more to it than that - Rich is really passionate about this topic.

If you are on Rich’s email list then you may have noticed a trend recently - he has begun to blog on a consistent basis (check out his Strategic Profits blog). Rich is a calculated guy, he doesn’t do anything without there being a strategy behind it.

The second part of his Attention Age Doctrine is due out in a matter of weeks. Given the topic is attention and how to capture it, and Rich’s recent blogging activities and comments in today’s coaching call, it’s clear Rich sees a blog as a key tool for capturing attention. I expect he wants to turn his blog into a focal point for participation in the community and to further cement his position as a thought leader in his industry.

Community Participation Is Mandatory

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