7secret Laws Ebook

The
7 Secret Laws
of Society
Social Media Essentials & Strategies for Small Business and Associations
Frank J. Kenny
The 7 Secret Laws of Society Copyright 2011 by Frank J. Kenny All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author. However, an ebook edition is being released as a free digital download at FrankJKenny.com. You are encouraged to share that link with friends, members, and colleagues. Please address all inquiries to: Frank J. Kenny Frank@FrankJKenny.com FrankJKenny.com
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For more information please visit: www.FrankJKenny.com
About the Author

Frank J. Kenny is an industry thought leader on small business and association social media marketing strategies. He has spoken on the topic at the state, national, and international level. More than 150 associations have turned to him for social media marketing training for themselves or their membership. He has more than 20 years of hands-on business experience including successfully boot strapping multiple start-ups to leadership positions and guiding non-profits to spectacular growth (as president/CEO of a 45 year old business association, he and his team employed social media marketing and other strategies to more than doubled the membership over an 18 month period). He has been featured in a number of media outlets including the American Chamber of Commerce Executives
The 7 Secret Laws of Society
(ACCE) Chamber Executive magazine and the Puget Sound Business Journal. He has written on social media marketing for the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal and his early work has been covered by the Kitsap Sun. He founded and managed the very successful Bigfoot The Northwests Social Media for Business Conference. One of his companies was named Business of the Year for his area. Frank is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), former Chair of the Chamber Division of the Association of Washington Business (AWB), and former Washington State Chamber of Commerce Executives (WCCE) Board Member. He is on the faculty of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute of Organizational Management (IOM) program. Frank has a degree in finance, his MBA, and is a graduate of the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) Academy program. He is nationally sponsored by the largest CMS in the chamber of commerce industry, ChamberMaster. FrankJKenny.com
We wish to thank ChamberMaster

for distributing this book throughout North America
Who We Are ChamberMaster is a division of MicroNet, Inc., a provider of software and networking services since 1986. ChamberMaster was formed in 1998 with the release of member management software designed exclusively for Chambers of Commerce. ChamberMaster helps chambers succeed with non-dues revenue generation and membership management tools that help chambers provide more services and recruit new members. Our customers, ranging in size from 30 members to 3,000 members, consistently rate our technical support and customer service as the best in the industry. Our Philosophy At ChamberMaster, our business is making chambers successful. More than just the essential set of core solutions, we also focus on the member, their needs and how we can help you build strong businesses and communities.
Disclaimer
This book is designed to provide the reader with information on social media marketing for small business and associations. The purpose of this book is to entertain and educate. The author and distributor are not engaged in providing legal advice, financial or accounting advice, or any other advice outside of their expertise. You are encouraged to seek additional knowledge and advice for all your business activities. The author and distributor shall not have either liability nor responsibility for any loss or damage caused or alleged by the information in this book, either directly or indirectly. If you do not agree to be bound by the above, please do not read the book.
Dedication
This Book is Dedicated to: Mom and Dad Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you.
Norma I am for you.
Acknowledgements
I am truly grateful for the blessing of having worked with, and be mentored by, so many fine people over the years. If I have neglected to mention anyone here please know it is due to memory failure rather than lack of appreciation. Mike Boyle. You embody the positive traits in this book more than anyone else I have ever met. You are an amazing leader and I was very fortunate to have you as my Chairman of the Board. Greg Oldham. An amazing business and community leader who speaks softly and carries an intellectual big stick. You deserve a lot of credit for the foundation you built at the chamber. Kyle Sexton. A bleeding-edge membership and marketing machine from the Salem Chamber. Kyle, thank you for your inspiration and showing the way. Without you,
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social media marketing for chambers wouldnt be where it is today. Bob Green of WCCE. Bob, you gave me a shot when you hardly knew me. Your support over the years has been much appreciated. Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives is lucky to have you. Dave Kilby and Steve Snyder of W.A.C.E. Thank you guys. Your Academy program and annual conferences were foundational to any successes I might have experienced in the chamber arena. ChamberMaster. Thank you Scott, Marcy, and Shanti. Yours is the par excellence membership management software company. I am honored to be associated with you. Joan Cozart, Chris Mead, and Mick Fleming of ACCE. From my first days in ACCE, you found numerous ways to help me and make me feel included. Thank you. Chamber of commerce leaders: Mark Sturdevant, Beth Bridges, Sue Thurman, Rhonda Warner, Matt Bott, Eldonna Shaw, Glenn Morris, Randy Gordan, Rick Winsman, Curt
Acknowledgements
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Moss and all the other chamber leaders that I have met through speaking or the Academy program. Thank you. My friends and co-workers from the North Mason Chamber, the North Mason Chamber membership, fellow North Mason Rotary members, and the Greater North Mason Community. Thank you for the friendships and for being job creators, a tax base, and a primary source of donations and community involvement. You rock. Friends from the business association industry. Renee Sinclair, Cathi Hight, Pat McGaughey, Joe Cozart, Randy King, and Raymond Towle. Thank you all for your generosity. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and call you friends. And a great big thank you to my mentors: Chris Widener, Jim Rohn, Mark Victor Hansen, Ken Blanchard, M. Scott Peck, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, Wayne Dyer, Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, Og Mandino, Jack Canfield, Anthony Robbins, Les Brown, Brian Tracy, Stephen Covey, Bob Burg, Mari Smith, Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, and others.
Contents
Book One Introduction Chapter 1: Turning Point Chapter 2: The Law of Acceptance and Respect Chapter 3: The Law of Reciprocity Chapter 4: The Law of Consistency Chapter 5: The Law of Social Proofing Chapter 6: The Law of Liking Chapter 7: The Law of Authority Chapter 8: The Law of Scarcity Book Two Chapter 9: Your Social Media Story Must Break Through Chapter 10: Your Target Markets World-View and Your Niche 17 19 25 39 53 63 71 77 83 91 95 97 103
Chapter 11: Your Unique Value Proposition Chapter 12: Your Social Media Goals Chapter 13: Metrics Chapter 14: Your Brand Chapter 15: Rules of the Road Bonus Chapter: Strategies Conclusion Resources
105 109 113 117 125 133 167 169
Book one
The
7 Secret Laws
of Society
Introduction
I just didnt get it. How could it be that he was so successful and yet he was hardly ever in his office working? It just didnt make sense to me. I was more than a little confused and even a bit upset about it. In my world-view, life wasnt supposed to work that way. The man or woman that works hard makes the big bucks and the socializers should be broke. I know lots of people, perhaps even you, agree with that world-view; hard work leads to success and socializing with your friends too much leads to failure. I wrote this book to let you know that hard work is, thankfully, only a small part of the journey to achieving your goals and dreams. It turns out that having a lot of fun helping others is another important part, especially in the age of social media.
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Let me backtrack a bit and catch you up on where my angst was coming from. I owned a retail store. Four of them, actually. I worked very hard at starting and running those stores, day in day out, week after week, month after month, year after year for 12 years. While I enjoyed what I did, my life was pretty much all about doing the hard work necessary to reach my goals and dreams. If my world-view held true, I should have been the rich one and professional socializers should have been struggling. That clearly wasnt always the case. What gives? I asked myself more than once. Worse yet, this guy, Mike Boyle, owner of North Bay Mortgage, wasnt the only example of this seeming unfairness. Among the many examples I could share with you, there was another guy, Tim Wing, who had an office across the street from mine. I knew what he drove and where he parked. He was hardly ever in his office because he was another professional socializer! He was, you guessed, it very successful in his career; rich, as a matter of fact.
Introduction
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I started to see a pattern. At first, I simply let it go. I figured these two examples were flukes. Some people get lucky. These were good guys; community-minded, involved, eager to lend a hand. I liked them. I just couldnt understand how they did so much business even though they had these fun lives. As I said earlier, I had worked very hard, crazy hard, for years on my business and each and every year was a struggle. I read everything on business I could get my hands on. I had a degree in finance. I had my MBA. I got up early and worked late. A day off for me was running to the wholesalers to pick up merchandise. Let me share a story with you. Years back, I got a call from a reporter saying that our main store was going to be in a major newspaper. They wanted to do a feature story on us! That was a pretty big deal and I was very excited. The reporter showed up with a photographer and my brother and I eagerly shared our story. When it came time for photographs, I dashed inside to grab my yellow tablet. See, that tablet was my to-do list. It was, I remember, 3
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pages long on that specific day. It was always 2-3 pages long of activities that kept me extremely busy, working hard.
Photo by Russ Carmack/The News Tribune
As you can see from the photograph, there is that yellow tablet. I should have been very successful if there was a direct correlation between hard work, dedication, setting goals, and perseverance. I had all of that in spades.
Introduction
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A few short years after that photograph was taken, I was bankrupt. Broke. Busted. Wiped out and starting over at 36. I had recently been elected to be the next Chairman of the Board of the local Chamber of Commerce, but when the business collapsed, I was looking for work instead. Turns out there was an immediate opening for President/ CEO of that chamber. What I thought would be a temporary gig as I got my life started over turned out to be a very valuable four years for me. The chamber is where I really got to know Mike and Tim better. As I said, both were very active members of the community (socializers). Working for and with them, along with about 400 other small business people, gave me a rare glimpse into what makes some small business owners successful and others continue to struggle year after year, as I had. I had a real life laboratory to study business success with do-or-die participants. I am going to share with you how it could be that just working hard isnt a great strategy. As a matter of fact, it is a lousy strategy. I wonder if this story is speaking to any of you. Are you a hard worker but success has escaped you so far? Read on.
Chapter 1
Turning Point
My business life turned around when I adopted the strategy I am about to share with you. By the way, I implemented this strategy, and got amazing results, before social media had fully caught on. Social media puts this strategy on steroids. If you have an open mind and are ready, here is the strategy: Give Gifts. Be Generous. GIve GIFTS. Be GeNerouS. Sound too good to be true? As I said before, I had the opportunity to study hundreds of small business owners and see what actually worked and what didnt. I was with the rich ones and the broke ones all the time, on the inside, seeing the good, bad, and ugly. I knew their work ethics, their intelligence, how they viewed themselves and the world, how hard they worked, what they did and didnt do. The richest, happiest ones? They consistently practiced (with-
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out calling it this) Give Gifts. Be Generous. The broker ones worked really hard. They can take pride in that. But you cant take a to-do list to the bank. Give Gifts. Be Generous. It isnt exclusively a business strategy; it is also a life strategy. Employ this strategy and the secret ideas behind it in your life and watch what happens. It has so many benefits that I almost dont know where to begin. As a business owner or executive: 1. You will attract more customers. 2. You will have more fun. Give Gifts. Be Generous. It is a nice way to spend your time. 3. You will have more friends. 4. Your standing in the community will rise and you will have more influence. 5. Opportunities will come to you out of the blue. 6. Your stress level will go down because your business is doing better and your life feels more complete.
Turning Point
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Are you ready to dig into this simple but powerful strategy and hear how to implement it to dramatically improve your life and business? While this strategy was effective long before the Internet came about, the social media revolution that we are experiencing has made this strategy ultra powerful in todays 24/7/365 frantic and frenzied world. Let me share this strategy with you first through an illustration:
The center oval represents your current customers. The oval on the left, (Friends, Family, and Acquaintances), overlaps the center oval; potential customers or members. Congrats!
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Some of your family, friends, and even acquaintances are customers. That is a good thing. The oval in the lower right is the universe of the people that are strangers to you now but could become your customer (your target market). Hopefully you get some overlap there too (your phone rings, an email order arrives in your inbox, a stranger walks in the door). What I discovered in my chamber laboratory, in my own business life, and from working in the field doing the research for the scientific basis (I have spent the last 7 months traveling the country in my RV) is that a business owner/executive has two basic choices: They can concentrate mostly on the center oval - what Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth, might term doing it, doing it, doing it - or the business owner can concentrate on the other two ovals. If your business model is built around the center oval, as mine was, then you have a three page to-do list, do cold calling, send out thousands of direct mail pieces, and, all in all, focus on interrupting potential customer to show them your widget. That wasnt a great model before and is a horrible model for the social-media world we live in today.
Turning Point
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There is a much better way. Instead, focus on the other two ovals by employing the strategy of Give Gifts. Be Generous. What specific actions am I talking about? As a starting point, get involved in your community. Join your local chamber and state and national trade associations. Join the Rotary or another service club and attend the functions and meetings. Volunteer your time on the board of the local Boys and Girls Club. Go to the charity auctions and spaghetti fund raisers. Help other people and groups to be more successful by promoting their events or lending your talent. You can even just share your contacts. Are you saying, But I dont have the time or money? Well, think about that statement. How is your current strategy working for you? Are you working really hard yet struggling? I was right there with you, dead tired and broke. Ready to try something new? Are you thinking it is too simple or that it cant work because success only flows from hard work? That wasnt true then and it is even less true now. Read on. This first step, being more involved, is a jumping off point to the larger strategy. It is a great start though. Once you do
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these things, what do you think happens? Does the phone quit ringing because you arent doing it, doing it, doing it as much? Just the opposite. Instead of having less business you get more. The simple fact is that when you give back to the community and your industry, when you expand the left oval by giving gifts and being generous, customers come to you. The left oval expands dramatically.
When I got this, it came as an epiphany. I was dumbstruck. And skeptical. I asked myself, How could this be true? How could it be a better strategy to do things I totally en-
Turning Point
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joyed, like helping others and socializing? But there it was right before me time after time. The most successful people were the ones that attended functions, sponsored events, started the Boys and Girls Club, and sat on the boards of the various non-profits. Why does that happen? The simple explanation, but an incomplete one, is that you become better known in the community. People like to do business with those they know, like, and trust. Lots of people see that you are communityminded and that other people they respect already know, like and trust you. Word begins to spread and you get more business from being social and visible. You receive more referrals and more opportunities fall into your lap. You are top of mind when people need what you offer, whether it is widgets, tax accounting, or memberships This is all true and effective. But it is just a small fraction of the full story. Read on for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say. Lets talk about people who are strangers to your business, those in your target market that you dont yet know. They could be living in your area or, especially nowadays with
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the Internet, they could just as easily be living across the planet. How do you reach them and make that bottom right oval grow? Again, by employing the strategy of Give Gifts. Be Generous. What gifts could you provide strangers in your target market? How about posting useful information about your field of expertise on social media sites? How about answering questions about your industry and niche online? How about forming an online community where folks in your target market can learn from and get to know one another? There are dozens of free and easy ways to provide valuable gifts to potential customers through social media and social networking. For the sake of argument, lets assume your business is professional photography. You could easily and quickly post tips on taking better digital photographs. Lots of people are interested in that. It would be generous of you to share your expertise. What about posting some of your best work with details on how the readers could duplicate your success? Again, that would be a generous gift from you to them. Are you thinking, Whats in it for me to give away this knowledge? Good question.
Turning Point
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I have an answer for you: business. You want more business, right? You want to reach your goals and dreams, right? The fact is, you can create the conditions for complete strangers in your target market to find you through social media and the internet. But, if you dont offer them value up front they will have a much harder time finding you and they will have no reason to do business specifically with you. Legendary speaker and author Earl Nightingale tells the story about the man that stood in front of the wood-burning stove and demanded heat. The man told the stove that as soon as it produced heat, he would put in some wood. The fact of the matter is that one must put the wood in first and then out comes the heat. In todays world, you must provide value first. When you do that, provide value up front, you are giving a gift. People like to pay back gifts. That is one way that relationships start. As Seth Godin said about social media for business, Strangers become friends, friends become customers, and customers become salespeople for you by spreading the word.
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Those strangers will only know about you and your business/association (and potentially become your friend, customer, referral source) if you put something into the relationship first. You cant just take. You must give. We are not ready to go into developing your social media strategy yet but here are some ways to give gifts and be generous to strangers through social media (many more ideas and strategies are forthcoming in later chapters): Generously share your industry expertise, insights, & opinions. Post helpful content & interact to build relationships with individuals in your target market. Post high quality content to your blog, write thoughtful articles, write ebooks, or shoot how-to videos. Link to industry info and news, be a central source of accurate info, curate your niche, build a community of people interested in your niche.
Turning Point
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Key point: Dont worry about mastering the technical challenges of social media. Because of the rate of change and complexity, it is wiser to outsource the technical. Email me and I can recommend an expert for you. Guess what happens?
Notice again that the oval in the center doesnt increase in size. But the oval on the right explodes in size. Because of word-of-mouth, and some forthcoming reasons, strangers come to you for your product or services. That is the power of Give Gifts. Be Generous.
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But that isnt the whole story. We are still only scratching the surface of the life changing points I am going to make in this book. As soon as we implemented this strategy at the chamber, things took off. We got out of the office, stepping away from a to-do list mentality, and socialized with our target market. Our team joyfully gave and gave and gave. We helped and helped and helped. And we grew and grew and grew. The organizations membership count doubled in only 18 months. It was astounding. We exploded the membership base of that 45 year old organization not by doing it, doing it, doing it, but by helping others, valuing others, praising and celebrating others, reaching out without regards to geographic boundaries, and providing value. That amazing growth wouldnt have happened if not for Give Gifts. Be Generous. and social media. Key Point: My own life and professional standing also grew through this strategy. Pretty soon, I was sitting as the Chair of the Chamber Division of the Association of Washington Business, the states Chamber of Commerce,
Turning Point
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and speaking at state, national, and international conferences. I went from small town obscurity to being picked (out of about 200 chamber presidents in Washington State) to sit on the AWB executive committee. It wouldnt have happened without social media and employing Give Gifts. Be Generous. In the next section of this book I am going to share with you the secrets of why this works so amazingly well. It is significantly deeper than simply being well-known and helpful. This next section might blow your mind. I expect many of you will demand to know why nobody previously told you these secrets. And please dont be worried because I am not yet giving you specific social media strategies for your business. I will. But first, you must more fully understand the Give Gifts. Be Generous. strategy to fully employ it in your life and business. Stick with me. You will be glad you did.
Chapter 2
The Law of Acceptance and respect

So, why does the strategy of Give Gifts. Be Generous. really work? I have covered some basic, surface reasons, but the astounding and secret reasons are next. To fully understand the strategy, we are going to need to look at people in the context of prehistoric man and the history of civilized society. Let me stop here for a minute and clarify that I am not an anthropologist. I am not a psychologist. What I am is an entrepreneur that loves to help other entrepreneurs and the associations that serve them. As evidenced from the explosive growth of our association, and from my own business instincts, I felt at the core of my being that I had stumbled onto something very important. Give Gifts. Be Generous. was a significant discovery but I knew there must be more to it.
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I felt strongly enough about this to quit a good job and go into the field. I did this during the great recession. I even walked away from being on the executive committee of our states chamber. I left job, family, home, and friends. I was on a mission. If I could prove a way to help other people be successful and avoid the results I got from just working hard, then I had to do it. Even though I am not a scientist, I can do research. I can talk to people smarter and wiser than I am. Thats what I did, state by state, city by city, speaking to business audiences about these concepts and social media.
Social Media Tour - Los Angeles Area
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Long Beach, California
La Habra, California
Clovis, California
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Visalia, California, Chamber of Commerce November 2010
El Dorado County, California
Gilroy, California
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La Habra, California
Buckeye, Arizona
Here is what I found. There are 7 secret laws of society that, when combined with social media and my Give Gifts. Be Generous. strategy, has the power to transform your business and your life. Best of all, the strategy isnt built upon just working hard.
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A BrIeF HISTory oF THe 7 SeCreT LAWS oF SoCIeTy People, as social creatures living in a world of clans, tribes, and villages have adapted over millions of years. We formed deeply ingrained habits and ways (short cuts) of functioning around each other that allowed us to continue living together. I am, of course, not the first to realize the business and societal implications of this. These implications are not truly secrets; it is just that they are not taught to us directly, at least to the vast majority of us. We have to get lucky to find them. I stumbled upon them in my research and am excited to share them with you. It explains why Give Gifts. Be Generous. works so well. The strategy is mentioned in the Bible: There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. ~ Proverbs 11:24-25
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And by modern gurus: Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple. If you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation. ~ Deepak Chopra Much of the scientific work I am going to reference came from research in human psychology. I am standing on the shoulders of giants here; Abraham Maslow, for one, who wrote about some of this in his 1943 paper, the Hierarchy of Needs. The psychologist, Dr. Robert Cialdini, out of the Arizona State University, researched and wrote brilliantly in his book, Influence, on how we function as social creatures and how these factors relate to business. Others that wrote or spoke on ideas that contributed to this work include Zig Zigler, Bob Burg, John David Mann, Chris Brogan, Julien Smith, Seth Godin, and many others. As you go through the 7 secrets, take the time to write out the implications of these scientific truths as they apply to your business and life.
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The 7 Secret Laws of Society Guide Book walks you through the steps of applying these concepts and helps you create your business social media plan. FrankJKenny.com Lets start our scientific part of this journey with Abraham Maslow. Maslow wrote a paper in 1943 explaining his theories behind human motivation. Where previous psychologists studied people in insane institutions, Maslow came at it from a different direction. He studied super-achievers, people like Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt. From his work, he was able to produce The Hierarchy of Needs. Most everyone has seen the Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. According to Maslow, as soon as we satisfy our physiological needs, such as food, water, and sleep we turn our attention to safety needs, such as employment, and our security. We dont care too much about achieving our lifes goals or dreams when we are concerned about where we will sleep and what we will eat. As soon as our physiological needs are satisfied, we turn our attention to finding a sense of belonging. Maslow found
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that, among healthy people (most people), they need, or rather crave, acceptance and belonging. If they cant find it they are apt to become anxious or even depressed. I often tell my audiences that we, as social creatures, need to know we are accepted, heard, and loved. The question, If you disappeared tomorrow, would anyone even care? cuts to the core of it. If the answer to that question is no, then guess what the main focus of your life is, assuming your physiological needs have been met? Is there an opportunity for you (meaning you as an individual, you as an employee, and you as a business owner) to Give Gifts. Be Generous. here? Zig Zigler said, You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want. Maslow showed that what we want, more than almost anything else, is acceptance and a sense of belonging. If you can give this as a gift, would you? You can through social media. I will show you how. Maslows thesis went further. Once people have found acceptance through their Lions Club, knitting group, church, or business associations (or all of these), healthy people will
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turn to the next level in the hierarchy, esteem, or put another way, respect. We crave, as healthy human beings, the respect of others. There is nothing wrong with that. Only somebody unhealthy would crave a lack of self-esteem or be happy not being respected. Referring back to the Zig Ziglar quote, can you see another way here for you to Give Gifts. Be Generous? If it is the right thing to do to help people feel accepted then it is also right to help people feel respected for their accomplishments and contributions. This is very easy to do online and off. Just think, a quick word of praise, from your business or association, posted on Facebook instantly helps to satisfy a customers or prospects basic need for esteem - all done publicly and for free. A core tenant of the Give Gifts. Be Generous. philosophy is going out of your way to help others get what they want out of life. By spreading acceptance and respect, you are doing exactly that. You do this with the quiet calm assurance that if you do this for enough people, with all sincerity, then you will likewise get what you want out of life.
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Key point: Give Gifts. and Be Generous. isnt built around giving money. There are lots of ways to Give Gifts and Be GenerousTM. Making someone comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings is a gift. Congratulating someone for an accomplishment is a gift. We are surrounded by opportunities to be generous on a daily basis. For my strategy, the first Secret Law of Society is Acceptance and Respect. When you are active and involved in your community or field, you cant help but employ them. Pretty soon, people who were formerly aloof or strangers to you begin to know, like, and trust you. If you accept people and respect them for their contributions, publicly putting a spotlight on them, you are giving gifts and being generous. Let me give you an example. Back when I was running the chamber, we had a new member come to his first monthly luncheon. He was from out of the area and didnt know a soul. He looked a little like a fish out of water because he wore a suit and brought his briefcase. In our rural community, a sport coat was considered overly dressed and this fellow wore a 3 piece. I would have usually introduced him
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to a board member or someone very social to break the ice for him but I was tied up running the event. Try as I might, I couldnt get over to him. I could tell from his body language, as the luncheon went on, that he was uncomfortable, even isolated. He never attended another luncheon or event of any kind. If only I, or one of the members, would have made him feel accepted it would have been a gift to him. Better yet, several members could have approached him and drew him into the group. Perhaps we even could have found something about him to praise. A little respect goes a long ways, especially when somebody is new to your industry, area, or association. The point I am trying to make is this: even in a group of business networkers, people often feel ignored and unappreciated. Acceptance is a core need of who we are as humans. Employ this first secret both online and off. Give people the gift of your attention. Be generous with your praise and approbation.
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Key Point: The Secret Laws of Society allow us to function and thrive in a complicated world. If the world was complex enough back then that we needed these Laws, just think of the implications for todays fast changing and connected world. THe NexT 6 LAWS oF SoCIeTy Lets acknowledge Professor Cialdini again for putting a name to these concepts and providing in-depth research on them. He wasnt the first and certainly wont be the last but his book, Influence, first published in 1983, was a gift to us. The professor, and other scientists and researchers, showed us that these Laws can be thought of as mental shortcuts and function, for the most part, to our benefit. By relating many scientific cases, personal stories and specific examples, I will try to help you think through the implications of these secret laws, especially as they relate to business and social media. I will touch on approaches as we go but need to save the detailed social media strategies for a later section when we have all the pieces on the table.
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Ready? Here are the age old and little known Secret Laws of Society. I chose to use the labels that Professor Cialdini gave them and added the Laws: The Law of Reciprocity The Law of Consistency The Law of Social Proofing The Law of Authority The Law of Scarcity The Law of Liking
Chapter 3
The Law of reciprocity

Did you know there is a Law of Reciprocity? It is universal and an integral part of society. The Law of Reciprocity is foundational to the Give Gifts. Be Generous strategy. From my research, I discovered that scientists think that a core foundation of society is constructed around the idea that if I do something for you, you will attempt to reciprocate. This isnt some subtle feeling that some of us have and others dont. It is universal. Our ability to live together in society demands that gifts and favors be reciprocated. If it hadnt evolved into human nature to do so, if it hadnt become ingrained in us, at some point people would have quit giving. What would civilization look like if it was OK to take and take and take and never give back? That train would have run off the rails pretty quick.
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To explain, lets say you and another person decide to go grab a cup of coffee at the local espresso bar. Since it was your idea you reach for your wallet to pay the tab. Your friend is quick to say thanks and the two of you grab your drinks and a table in the sun. A couple of days later, you and the same friend are chatting at the espresso bar again. After ordering your drinks the cashier states the total, $6.52 please. You glance over to see if your friend is reaching for cash. After all, you bought last time. He isnt. No big deal, you say to yourself, what is 6 bucks? You pay and you both grab your seats and have a nice visit. The following week, you find yourselves there again. You place your order, he places his, and the cashier rings up the total, $6.52 please. You glance over to see if your friend has got this one and he simply plain doesnt. No attempt, on his part, to dig for cash or grab his ATM card. You pause. The cashier is waiting and looking at you both. You dont want to make a scene or embarrass your cheapskate friend so you pay with your card and off the two of you go.
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If you were the guy who paid these three times, how would you feel? Uncomfortable, I bet. Why? There was no discussion on who would pay. So what if you paid the last two times? Whats the big deal? It is a big deal. Huge. All the research shows that reciprocation stems from a powerful feeling of indebtedness. It comes with an equally powerful need to repay. We even say, Much obliged, maam and tip our hats (picture a cowboy). Obliged. Obligated. Let me share a story with you that was related to me by Tim, our earlier rich guy. He and his son were driving along and Tim saw a group of parents and kids doing a fundraiser car wash. Tim pulled his car into the line and had his car washed. One of the parents walked up to collect the donation. Instead of an acceptable amount, say 10 bucks, Tim handed over $30. For 30 bucks he could have had it cleaned 4 times at the automatic wash in town. Tims son was a little taken aback by the big donation. His words were something to the effect of, Dad, you are crazy?
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$30 was way too much. Tims reply is wise, even brilliant, if you subscribe to the Law of Reciprocity. Tim said, in effect, Son, think about what happened there. I needed the car washed. That is done. They needed money. I gave them some. I could have given them the minimum, and they would have been happy, and I could have spent the rest on say, an ad for my business. Now, what would be my return on that ad? Most likely zero. Absolutely nothing. However, I did something nice. I knew the mother who took the donation. While I am not expecting or demanding that she send me a referral, when she comes across a potential referral for me, who do you think she will think of? The extra $20 is a smart investment. And, it made me feel good to give it. Tim is exactly right! While the lady is under no strict obligation to pay Tim back, what do you think went on in her mind? 30 dollars! That Tim is a great guy. The Jones used him to buy their place. I should really try to do something nice for him. That could be what she is thinking at the conscious level. What about subconsciously? The need to repay, the need to relive the obligation, is so strong that
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it can create a sense of guilt, or even disloyalty, for failure to repay. Sociologist and anthropologist Marcel Mauss said, There is an obligation to give, an obligation to receive, and an obligation to repay. Back to our story. By giving a little more than expected, it may very well be the case that the mom will go out of her way to help Tim. She might then do it again. And again. I know I often did when working at the chamber. Tim was constantly going out of his way to help me and I was glad to return the favor by referring people to him. Failure to do so would have made me very uncomfortable. When somebody does something nice for us, like buys us a cup of coffee or provides good advice, there is a societal demand for repayment. It isnt that the person buying the coffee or giving the advice demands repayment. It is a sense of indebtedness and a self- imposed (societal, really) obligation to repay. I owe you one.. OK, you can get this one but the next one is on me. We have words for those who allow other to give and fail to repay. They are called moochers and ingrates. Most peo-
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ple, if not everyone, would be mortified to be labeled a moocher or ingrate. Our reputations would be destroyed if the common perception was that we are glad to take but never give. The Secret Law of Reciprocity can be very subtle. Another real estate agent in my town would give his clients, friends, prospects, everybody, what he called dropby gifts. At the time I thought it was simply to keep him top of mind. More likely though, he knew that the Law of Reciprocity would be in effect. He gives me a fun little gift and I give him a referral (or return the favor somehow). When you give you get. Generosity brings prosperity. Take Tims earlier example and think about if your life was built around Give Gifts. Be Generous. You would have dozens, or hundreds, of people that you have done nice things for looking out for you, bringing you clients, opportunities, and telling your story. You dont have the time for Give Gifts. BE Generous. if you are locked in your business.
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Another subtle example. Sure is nice of food stores to give those free samples. Of course, it isnt really about letting you taste the food at all. They know people will return the favor of a free sample by buying. We accidently did this in our chamber at OysterFest. I thought the customers simply loved those tasty samples because we always had a line form right after the sample trays went out. Turns out, we obligated the customers without even knowing the Law of Reciprocity. Cialdini discusses a test from the 60s where two study participants are in a room. One of the participants (lets call him the assistant) is in on the study while the other one is actually the unknowing object of the study (lets call him object). During a break, in controlled instances, the assistant would step out and buy both of them a Coke. Upon returning, he would hand the object the Coke and they would both enjoy their drinks. The object didnt ask for the Coke. It was simply handed to him. At the end of the day, the assistant would mention casually to the object that he was helping to raise money for a charity and needed to sell some raffle tickets. He would ask the
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object to buy some. In every case where the object was offered a soda, they bought more tickets, even spending more than the cost of the soda. Think about that. The assistant decided if he was or was not going to give the gift, then also decided the terms of repayment. Here is a simple example of how it works in regards to social media. Have you noticed that when you follow a person on Twitter, they are likely to follow you back? According to studies, this happens about 80% of the time. You follow them, which is a gift of your attention, and the receiver often reciprocates. You re-tweet their post, they look for an opportunity to re-tweet yours. You share their event on Facebook, they look for a way to repay the favor. When you give, you get. They feel an obligation. Human psychology and the Laws of Society demand it. When you give gifts, dont ever think about keeping score. The key is to give generously and widely, planting seeds. A simple way to do that is helping people feel accepted and respected online. Compliment their posts, recognize people for a job well done, even if all they did was make
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you smile. Share their posts. Go out of your way as often as you can to Give Gifts. Be Generous. Then, out of the blue, you will find people referring others to you. Great opportunities will come your way. You wont always be able to pinpoint and explain why an opportunity has come to you but it very well could be from that auction item you gave, that compliment you made, that quote you posted, or any of dozens or hundreds of grand or simple gifts you gave. Somewhere down the road, your gifts will be returned, maybe through the best referral or opportunity of your life. All the greatest opportunities come from friends, right? They dont post once in a life time opportunities in the classified ads. Your friend comes to you and says, I have something for you! If it were only for the existence of the Law of Reciprocity, Give Gifts. Be Generous would be a great strategy for business and life, but there is so much more! These laws build upon one another. Next, the Secret Law of Consistency.
Chapter 4
The Law of Consistency

A study was done where researchers went to a nice neighborhood and asked the residents if they would put up a billboard in their front yards advocating for safe driving. The vast majority of people quickly said no. They didnt want to blight their neighborhood with a billboard in their yard, no matter the good intent of the message. However, in the next nice neighborhood, the researchers first went to the homes and asked the resident if they would display a 3 inch sign in their windows with the same message of Drive Safely. It was a very minor ask. The vast majority said yes, they would be glad to do that. Here is where it gets good. A few weeks later, in the second neighborhood where most of the families agreed to post the small sign in a window, a different researcher went to the homes and again asked to
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display the billboard. Significantly more people said yes. Why would this be? It is the law of consistency. The people that said yes had created a pattern in their minds where they saw themselves as the kind of person who cared about driving safely and had actually posted a sticker on their window stating as much. In order to be consistent with themselves, they said yes to the billboard too. What do you think of a person that continually changes their mind? Or worse, their story. Saying one thing and doing another is something that ruins reputations. Sometimes it is called two-faced, or double dealing, or hypocritical. In politics they call it wishy-washy or flip flopping. Clans, tribes, villages, and communities couldnt function over generations and eons if people werent held accountable for their word. One of the most solemn oaths we have is, You have my word on it. You break that, you are done. Because of this, we have developed an obsessive desire to appear consistent - consistent in our words, consistent in our actions, consistent in our dealings. We really couldnt function as a society, long-term, otherwise. As a conse-
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quence, nNobody wants to be thought of as inconsistent. Your reputation is on the line everyday and one sure way to ruin it is to be thought of as a liar or two-faced. This need for consistency is not exclusively for outward appearances, with how other people perceive us, but also with our own self-perception. Psychologists have a term for it when our thoughts/actions and self-perception contradict. They call it cognitive dissonance. It comes down to us not being comfortable holding two conflicting thoughts at the same time. For example, I cant see myself as good person and then murder someone in cold blood. The ideas conflict, both outwardly and inwardly. I would look and feel awful. This obsessive desire for consistency creates some interesting effects that apply to business. If we do something as small as write an online testimonial for someone, for example, saying they are a good person or their business/association is solid, we deeply internalize that to remain consistent in the future. Years later that will remain our opinion unless very powerful forces, such as an adverse experience, contradict it.
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Remember me writing that these laws have been around since the dawn of man, helping us function in society? Consistency is a shortcut that helps us to live our lives without having to struggle mentally, again and again, with every little decision. If every decision required us to start our thinking from scratch, consider the consequences; doing research, analyzing things through, getting opinions from friends and experts, and generally treating each decision as a standalone issue. We would never get anything done. Answering questions like, Do I want to have fast food for lunch? would be major decision if it werent for the law of consistency. Think of it this way; are you a fast food eater? You probably made the decision that you are or arent a fast food eater many years ago. Things in the fast food industry have changed since then. McDonalds has salads now. Other chains have healthy menus. Shouldnt you do some research to validate your prior decision? Ask some experts? Read a whitepaper or a study? Of course not. You dont have the time. It is a fact of life; you wont revisit most of your prior decisions. You are committed to them. Life is getting faster and more hectic all the time so the Law of Consistency is getting more and more important.
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It comes down to this: to function in society and the world, we need to make decisions and then stick with them. We simply dont have the time or energy to analyze all the facts for each and every question that comes across our lives. If we have made the decision that we dont do fast food, or that we love the chamber, then the decision is made. We dont have to go through the trouble of researching it ever again. Here is something to think about. A young child is asked, What are you going to be when you grow up? She responds, A doctor. 20 years later she is in medical school. Or, a small child is being fussy and refuses to eat his broccoli, stating he hates it. Those small little commitments stick with us and grow. Our words create our future. We remain consistent. We are even warned, Be careful what you wish for. Once it is in there, in the mind, it grows. This has massive ramifications for social media and your business. Lets say someone goes to your website and finds valuable info. They decide to subscribe and share your page on Facebook. Guess what? That is a big step down
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the consistency path. They made a commitment. They subconsciously tell themselves, Thats valuable material I just subscribed to and shared. Small acts such as liking a page, subscribing to a feed, or sharing a post can be the start of a very long-term relationship because of consistency. That is why many businesses run contests where the entry is simply a 100 word essay on why you like their product. I came across a contest recently where the post asked for a 2 minute video on how a certain speaker had helped to change your life for the better. Writing out that 100 words or shooting that video is going way down the consistency path. And it is nearly impossible to get off once you have started down it. Consistency is the reason politicians go door to door and ask for a simple favor, Please vote for me. If they get a yes (many people say yes to simply be polite, or to get back to watching Oprah), then the voter, in order to be consistent, will not only vote for them but is more likely to give a donation down the road.
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Ben Franklin said, He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged. Careful here. I am discussing the Law of Reciprocity versus the Law of Consistency by using Bens quote. You would think that if one gave a gift or did a favor for someone then the receiver would be likely to return the favor. That is true. That is the Law of Reciprocity. Ben is talking about consistency though. Here is the twist, the Law of Consistency is so powerful that even if someone who doesnt really like you does decide to do you a favor, then they will, in order to be consistent, go out of their way to do you another, and another, and another. After all, they did something for you once (and they make smart decisions). They must like you and want to help you. Has an acquaintance or friend ever done you a favor (or become your champion) without being asked? They simply took it upon themselves to help you. Then they do it again. And again. Fascinating, dont you think? Its consistency.
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From the Give Gifts. Be Generous standpoint, when you go out of your way for someone, chances are they will repay you somewhere down the road. Society expects that. That is great. But over time, because of consistency, it could mean a lifetimes worth of business from that person (and of course you reciprocate). That is how relationships are born and nurtured. Ready for the next Law? Social media and social proofing go hand in hand.
Chapter 5
The Law of Social Proofing

When our chamber decided to take a leadership role in social media, one of my strategies was to reach out to community-minded people beyond our tight geographic borders. As I did that, I kept coming across a certain active community member, Mindy Byers. We had never crossed paths before, probably because she lived more than 40 minutes north of my office. With social media making geography and borders much less important, both of our circles of friends and associates had greatly expanded. I had so many friends who were friends with Mindy that I decided I had to see who this person was. When I checked out her Facebook page, I discovered she had practically all of the top business and political people in the county as a friend. She wasnt only friends with them; she was good friends with them. I could tell that by the comments and friendly banter that went back and
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forth. My opinion of Mindy, that she was a solid, fun, good person with a fantastic reputation, was set before we ever became Facebook friends. Once we finally met face to face, it was as if we had known each other a long time. She was socially proofed by our mutual friends. Social proofing is critically important, not just for personal relationships and reputation but for business reputations. As I said earlier, I have spent the past 7 months in the field doing research for this book and speaking to business audiences. I travelled in my 5th wheel RV. Guess how I decide on which RV Park to stay at next? Yellow pages? Not a chance. Call 411? Hardly. I had a two inch thick book of RV Parks but I didnt use that either. You would be right in saying, He would simply do an online search for it. But I did more than that. I read the online comments and check out the ratings. If the majority of the comments were negative, or if even one of them was negative and persuasive, I did not choose that park. That is social proofing. It is another Law of Society and we are relying on it on more and more. We cant be an expert
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on everything. We therefore need to rely on others to help us understand new situations and to make decisions. Social proofing is engrained in our thinking (or should I say lack thereof ). Think about the simple laugh tracks that TV comedies use. Are we such sheep that we will think something is funny simply because other people laugh first? That is clearly the case. Laugh tracks are a fixture of TV, even though most of us know about them and shouldnt be influenced. In social media, social proofing is extremely important. When I go to your site I look to see if you have lots of friends and interactions that tell me about your character and if you have been socially proofed. I need to glean information so that I can make a good decision about you. I probably dont have the time, or want to go through the trouble of studying you. So I look for clues. We determine what is correct or true or important by finding out what others think. This is a huge time saver in society and the group is usually correct. If I am walking down the street and notice one person glancing up, I would prob-
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ably ignore it. However, if everybody is looking up, I am looking up. They actually did an experiment like this and it brought a New York street to a complete halt. Even the people driving cars felt the need to look up. If a large number of folks were running down the street, away from something, and I didnt have enough info to make an informed decision, guess what? Id be running too. We have a herd mentality. It goes along with living in a world where we dont have the time or resources to make great decisions for ourselves every time, so we rely on others. When marketers say, Fastest Growing or Largest Selling we naturally think, Oh, it must be good. Some nightclubs are known for forming lines outside, even if there is plenty of space inside. Our brains see that social proof, long lines, and assume it is a great place. After all, these people must know something we dont. Key Point - The founder of the National Speakers Association, Cavett Roberts said, Since 95% of people are imitators and only 5% initiators, people are persuaded
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more by the actions of others than by any proof we can offer. All of this applies to your business and social media. Make sure you are socially proofed on your sites. A lot of interaction on your sites proves that you are popular. Badges can show you are part of an exclusive group. Large feedburner counts show that lots of people have subscribed to your posts. People want to associate themselves with popular people. It would be a mistake to post the number of subscribers to your blog if that is a small number. That is social proofing in the wrong direction. A large following on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites is positive social proofing.
Chapter 6
The Law of Liking

When people have something in common, an affinity, they are more likely to like and be influenced by each other. Salespeople will make it a point to find commonalities, such as children, sports, activities, etc. People like to buy from those that are similar to them. Some time ago, a leader in our community asked me to come to a charity auction, even asking if I would sit at his table. I was flattered as he was a top business person in our area and I was relatively new to the chamber. Once dinner was over and the auction started, I began to feel a need to bid on things that I really didnt need and couldnt easily afford. I hadnt gone that night hoping to get a trip to Sun Valley. But I liked my host and his wife and the rest of the folks at the table. They were all bidding on packages, so I did too. That is the Law of Liking. The
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Law of Reciprocity was also in play as my host paid for dinner. I won a trip I hadnt planned to make. Consider the home party business. A woman will invite her friends over for the party. If you decline you might hurt the friendship so you say, Sure. I would love to attend when really, truthfully, you have enough stuff to last a life time. On Saturday you and a group of other women (none of whom really needs any more stuff either) get together at the womans home. You have laughs, you play games, the sales person does some demonstrations, and then asks for the sale. Are you really buying from the sales person or from your friend? After all, everybody knows that the host gets a cut of the action. The sales person does the selling, but you are really doing this for your friend. If you dont buy anything (failure to reciprocate) you risk harming your friendship with someone you like, your friend. You buy. That is what happened with me at the auction. I didnt buy that trip because I needed it. I bought it because I liked my host. They did something nice for me, inviting me to sit with them, and, like I said earlier, I felt a need to recipro-
The Law of Liking
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cate in some way. More than that though, I liked them and wanted them to like me. This kind of thing happens all the time. Why do you think good salespeople always make it a point to ask for referrals? Mrs. Jones, thank you for your business. Say, why dont you provide me with the names of 3 of your friends that should also have this level of security and comfort? The salesperson will call up your friends and say, Hello Mrs. Davis. Mrs. Jones said I should come see you. Mrs. Davis doesnt want to cause any rifts in the friendship so she agrees to the meeting. After all, she has no details on what Mrs. Jones and the salesperson talked about but it seems Mrs. Jones went out of her way for Mrs. Davis. Better not risk it. There is more to it. Lets bring all of this back to growing your business through social media. We all know that people buy from those they know, like, and trust. When someone comes to your site or sees your profile on a social media platform, do they
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instantly get the feeling that they like you? They are much more likely to buy from you if they do. Key Points on the Law of Liking: 1. People buy from those they know, like, and trust. Make sure your website takes advantage of this fact, rather than suffers from it. 2. People give special consideration to those they find attractive. There is a reason that pharmaceutical companies choose models as saleswomen. Your sites and profiles need to be attractive. More on this later in the branding section. 3. We like people who are similar to us in various ways opinions, lifestyle, or background. Commonalities are important. 4. Flattery, praise, and compliments engender liking. It must be sincere. If you have some amount of praise for somebody, dont hesitate to share it. Dont ever criticize. People dont forget or forgive criticism. 5. People are drawn to high-status people. High status people are generally laid back, funny, and calm.
The Law of Liking
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When somebody is needy, nervous, anxious, worried, or negative, it lowers their status and people wont think of them in as a positive a light. 6. They shoot the messenger. Weathermen receive death threats. Be very, very cautious about being the one that carries bad news. Shakespeare said, The nature of bad news infects the teller. Overall, the point is, people are drawn to do business and associate with those they like. If your branding and story engenders that effect, you are well on your way to getting more business.
Chapter 7
The Law of Authority
Randy Gordons Office, President & CEO of Long Beach, Californias Chamber of Commerce
Suppose you signed up to participate in an experiment where the researchers where trying to determine if people would remember things better if there was a small negative consequence for a wrong answer. There was such an experi-
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ment. The negative consequence was the administration of an electric shock. From Wikipedia: The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts, electric shocks, that conflicted with their personal conscience. Lets pretend you are a participant in the experiment and it was you that got to administer the shock. You sit in one room and the victim, err the other participant, sat in the next room. You could see and hear them but you were separated. Now, the researcher (authority figure in a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard), provides you with a series of questions to ask. If the victim (actually an actor who is in on the study) gets the answer wrong, you administer a little shock by pulling a lever. Turns out the victim doesnt have such a good memory (on purpose) so you are told to administer a shock. Then another. And another. For each failed question they get a shock.
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Did I mention the voltage of each new shock is increasingly more powerful? The voltage was pretty low at the start and you could tell it didnt really hurt too much. After several wrong answers though you can tell it is getting painful for them. After several more wrong answers it is plain to you that the shock is going beyond painful to excruciating. You want to stop but the researcher says it will be fine and that you should go on administering the shocks. At some point the victim is begging to quit. They complain that they have a heart condition. The researcher in the lab coat motions for you to continue. Again and again, more and more juice. You want to stop, the victim wants to stop, but the person in charge tells you to keep going so you keep going. All the way to end of the voltage gauge! That is the power of authority. The Law of Authority is another one of the mental short cuts that allow us to function in society. If we didnt have a nearly universal respect for authority, we couldnt have a functioning society. We would have chaos. The lengths to which we will go out of a sense of duty to authority are astounding.
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When we come across an authority figure, such as a medical doctor, we naturally defer to his or her expertise. After all, they know infinitely more than we do about their area of expertise. We do this as a matter of course for all experts and people in positions of authority over us. It means we dont have to think. Somebody else will do that for us, thereby relieving us of the burden. Society is structured around authority. As a child, Mom and Dad are the authorities. Everything in life a child wants, and doesnt want, are at Moms and Dads will. They are in charge and we had better listen. As we grow older, the authority is the school teacher and even more so, the principal. Beyond that are policemen, judges, and people in military uniform. People in positions of power, usually wearing a uniform, or in the case of the researcher, a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard, are deferred to. Credentials and uniforms are symbols of authority. We are taught from the earliest age to defer to them. As we get older we turn to the PhD, the MD, the CEO. This deferment to authority is so engrained in us, and our customers, that we truly do turn our thinking off.
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A story from Cialdinis book, Influence: An MD wrote out instructions for an RN to administer 2 drops in a persons right ear for an earache. Simple enough. She put the drops in his butt! Why in the world would a highly trained nurse, an RN, administer ear drops in a patients rectum? Because she deferred to authority. The doctors instructions, as written, were to administer 2 drops R EAR. As this applies to your business/association and social media, establish yourself as an expert in your field, an authority. Dont be afraid to brand yourself as such. It is a necessity that you do so if you expect people to value your opinions. Ever step into a persons office and see all the plaques, awards, and recognitions that they have received? Why do so many people do that, put all that up on the wall? It builds credibility, authority, and expert status. They know more than we do about their topic, dont they? All those plaques, awards, degrees, honors, and public symbols of recognition clearly confer authority status. Your brain sim-
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ply says, I had better do what this person tells me. They are in charge. They are the expert. What about when businesses advertise, Backed by the leading.., or sponsored by the largest. or distributed by Microsoft. It builds credibility and authority. It is also social proofing but more than that. They are an expert and we always defer to the experts, even to the point of putting ear drops in a rear end. Furthermore, people are attracted to authority. Experts speak in an authoritative tone of voice, carry themselves confidently, and use a tone of voice and body language that says that they are in charge. And 95% of people follow. On your website and social media sites, are you using techniques to build your authority and credibility? Do you have testimonials? Do you list the names of companies that you do business with? Any awards conferred, such as Business of the Year? By doing this you are demonstrating your expertise. This is especially powerful if you are established as an expert of proven sincerity. Notice I said proven sincerity? Thats important because the research has found that your author-
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ity will be in question if people think you have a conflict of interest. If you are only recommending something because you will earn a commission, then your authority takes a hit. On the other hand, if you come out against your own best financial interests by recommending a competitor or releasing a confidence (just between you and me, the company you should be dealing with is) then you build your expert status and authority. You also must have a relevancy in the topic at hand. If you are the top butcher in the meat market but my question is on flowers, you dont carry much authority on that issue. That is one of the reasons why it is so important to stake out your target market and niche. You cant be an expert in all things but once you are clearly a top notch expert in your niche, you get all the benefits that go along with being an authority. We are making good progress on the Laws of Society. Soon we will apply them directly to social media for your business and association.
Chapter 8
The Law of Scarcity

Why is it that when something is in newly short supply or if the sale is ending soon that we want it more? When I was shopping for my RV, I came across last years model in the brand I liked. They only had 2 left and it was a relative bargain. The sales guy made sure to point out that these were the last two and this one in particular was a great deal because it had the floor plan I was looking for. Even though I knew about The Law of Scarcity, I bought. Years ago, when I owned a chain of retail gift stores, I decided to carry collectables. Figurines and other items in the collectibles category are often produced in smaller, limited, quantities. Scarcity actually creates demand. When I give presentations, especially in the business association world, I spend quite a bit of time on the Law of Scarcity. Ever go to a night club in Las Vegas, for example,
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that is just packed and fun? Sure, we have all been to places like that. Ever notice that there is often times a section of the club that is blocked off for VIPs. The club usually uses a velvet rope to clearly say you cant come into this side unless you are extra special. What is our psychological reaction to that? The audience is quick to agree that we always want what we cant have. Or another clich, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Have you seen the annual one-day wedding dress sale in New York? Once a year, women wait in line for hours for the chance to buy very expensive wedding dresses at huge markdowns. When the doors open the ladies rush in and fight, literally fight, for the dresses. I think it must go back to the days of living in caves where if you didnt get a piece of the kill, your kids might go hungry. We put our thinking on hold and fight for our share (whether we really want or need it or not). Whatever the original cause, we go nuts from scarcity. As it concerns your business and social media, keep in mind that if you price your item or services too cheaply, people will assume it isnt very good or is not worth very much.
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You may think you will generate higher demand by being cheap but the reality is you might cause even less demand. Recently, I saw a public speaker and business owner post on his Facebook page that he was cutting back on his speaking availability because he was getting too busy. Now, I dont know if he was purposely employing the Law of Scarcity to drive demand and increase his fees, he might have truly become too busy to speak so often anymore. Pulling The Secret Laws of Society Together and Applying Them to Social Media for Small Business and Associations Here is an example of how it works: Give Gifts. Be Generous. starts the ball rolling. An author gives away a free signed copy of her book to an acquaintance. Then the Law of Reciprocity kicks in. The receiver of the book posts to the authors Facebook wall a few days later to say how much he enjoyed reading it. Obligation satisfied.
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Then the Law of Consistency. When the receiver posted publicly that he liked the book he took a step down the path of consistency. Next he might recommend the books website to a few friends, especially if he wrote glowing comments. If the author has branded herself right, the Laws of Liking and Authority will be in play when those visitors come to her site. Because the author has many Facebook friends and Twitter followers, the Law of Social Proofing is there. By employing the Law of Scarcity (say, a limited supply of first editions with the embossed workbook) she is well on her way to reaching her monetary goals and dreams. But first, she has to make sure the social media essentials are covered.
Book two
Grow your Business Through
The
7 Secret Laws
of Society
Chapter 9
your Social Media Story Must Break Through
W.A.C.E. Social Media Webinar
Like more and more folks today, I dont watch TV except for the occasional movie. TV bores the living tar out of me. I have way too much to do and cant abide losing all that time. I generally cant find any decent movies to watch, either, unless one matches my, as Seth Godin has termed it, world-view.
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Hundreds of movies are released each year and I only hear about a few, perhaps the Oscar contenders. Unless it is made for me. Unless it perfectly fits my world-view. Then what happens? I somehow hear about it. When a Lord of the Rings type movie is released, I know about it. What do we do when someone is telling a good story? We sit forward in our chairs, on the edge of our seats, and pay attention. We all love to hear a good story. We will actually take time out of our hectic lives for a good story. We love the way stories can make us feel. We learn from stories. Stories reach us. Robert McAfee Brown, professor and author of 29 books, said of storytelling, Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today. Tom Peters, the business author and management guru, is quoted as saying, The story is more powerful than the brand. Does your business story make your target market sit forward in their seats? Does it grab their attention? Can it break through the clutter of todays hectic life? Your business cant be all things to all people. 99% of people on the Internet dont care about you, your business,
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or what you are selling. But that 1%, if you speak to their world-view, if your story makes them say Thats for me! then you have a chance. Have you heard of Toms of Maine? They make toothpaste, mouthwash, and other natural personal care products. They are known for their responsible manufacturing and environmental practices. That is a huge part of their story. If you are a person that cares about that (fits your worldview), their story breaks through. Thats for me! springs out of your lips. It makes you feel good to do things, like use Toms of Maine, when it meshes with your world-view. It reinforces and validates you. Who is going to buy an electric vehicle? Only somebody that has a world-view of themselves as an electric car owner. They will sit up high in the drivers seat too, proudly expressing themselves through their purchase. Yet there are other folks who wouldnt be caught dead driving an electric car. It would be a waste of time and money to market to them. In the cacophony that is todays world, a story can break through the clutter. Funny thing is though; you cant tell
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your story to everybody and have them all get excited. The majority of people will just yawn. Yeah, yeah, yeahanother story. They might not put it into those words but the reality of the situation is that people are busy, frantic really, and they dont have time for your story. Unless..it really strikes a chord with them, fitting their world-view. Do you have a story or just a store? If you are an entrepreneur, I am betting you have one heck of a story. I bet that when you have an earnest listener you can really open up about where the idea for your business came from, how you are helping others, the steps you took to bring it into reality, the perseverance needed and the challenges along the way. That is all part of your story; as is your logo, building and website. Whats special about your product or service is also part of the story. Everything about your business either appeals to the world-view of your target market, or bores them. If it bores them then you dont exist. As another example, lets say you are a conservative that is continually upset about what you perceive as liberal bias in the media. Then one day, you are flipping through your 500 channels and come across Fox News. Thats for me!
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you say. It busted through because your world-view was open to the Fox News story. People buy what they want, almost never what they need. A $700 hand bag? In her story, it will make her look and feel sexy, wealthy, and successful. It really is great quality, she will tell herself, and you cant get these just anywhere. The hand bag company told a story of sophistication and quality; and the buyer told herself a story of how special she is, how hard she works, and that she deserves to treat herself from time to time. Everybody is happy. A Kmart purse would have carried all her items but the story did not fit her world-view. Focus on the people who are looking for your story and they will see it and exclaim, Thats for me! On the other hand, if you advertise or market to people that could not care less about what you are selling, you are wasting your time (unless you have a $50,000,000 push advertising budget where you can interrupt people into submission). As another example, lets assume you sell high-end mens golf clubs. Your target market is male golfers that can afford high-end golf products. Your story needs to resonate,
Chapter 10
your Target Markets World-view and your Niche

One of the beautiful things about social media is that you can hang out where your target market hangs out and develop relationships with them. Relationships lead to them becoming customers and then advocates for you. But first, what do you know about them, their demographics? What is their average age? Their income range? Their lifestyle? Once you know these things you can more easily know where to find them and how to interact with them. From the Law of Liking, we know that the more you have in common with them, or the more they like you, the more likely they are to do business with you. More on this in later chapters. In this example, the target market is well-off men who golf. Your niche is high-end golf clubs. Somewhere down the road you might add the niche of high-end golf balls or
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bags. Or, you could expand your target market to include women golfers but stay in the same niche. By focusing on your niche, you become an undisputed expert, with authority, in that niche. Remember the Law of Authority. Once people defer to you as an expert that has the customers best interests in mind, they will accept your recommendations. After all, you are the expert. Always remember the Laws of Society in your social media marketing.
Chapter 11
your unique value Proposition

Now that you understand the value of story and your target markets world-view, it is time to formulate your unique value proposition. This is critical. Too many people start marketing their product or service through social media without clearly differentiating their offering. For example, there are several larger golf club companies marketing high-end golf clubs to male golfers. How are you going to compete against them and their huge size advantage? Your story opens the door to sharing what makes your product/service special, your unique value proposition - so special that your target market should change what they have been doing. You have their attention because your story matched their world-view. That is huge! Now, close the deal. What is it about what you are selling that justifies
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them taking a risk with you? What problem do you solve? How will you dramatically improve their lives? Perhaps your clubs have a unique, patented grip. Maybe they are from a new alloy and are the lightest. You must have or do something different or have something unique that separates your product or service from the competition. What is it? Dont worry if you have a hard time getting it down on paper. It often takes weeks to think it through and analyze it. Get ready for lots of rewrites. Here is a way to help it along. If you asked your best customers for words that reflect your offering, what would they say? Ask for 5 words; and hope the words arent cheap, flimsy, and bargain. In the case of the golf clubs, words such as light, flexible, and powerful would be great. Then, taking your best customers perceptions along with your own, craft a unique value proposition. Something like, At XYZ, we make the lightest and fastest premium mens golf clubs for those who demand and deserve the very best. That sentence is your unique value proposition
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and it is part of your story and goes into all your social media marketing efforts. We have made great progress. We have covered Give Gifts. Be Generous. The Laws of Acceptance and Respect and the Laws of Reciprocity, Consistency, Social Proofing, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity. We discussed your target markets world-view, your niche, your story, and your unique value proposition. You needed these as a foundation. Next, your goals. Nice job sticking with it as we build the foundation.
Chapter 12
your Social Media Goals

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. ~ Seneca In social media for business and business associations, there are 3 main goals available to you: 1. Create new customers or members. This is the Acquisition/Conversion Goal. Some would think that this is the typical goal of social media for business. After all, they might say, If you are not bringing in new customers and new money, why do it? They would have a valid point. However, as a consultant and speaker who travels widely speaking to individuals and associations about social media mar-
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keting, let me assure you, conversion isnt usually the real goal. These clients may say that they are using social media to grow their businesses but their actions and strategies show that they are not. Let me give you an example. I recently held a teleseminars for business association executives and staff. Part of my presentation was geared towards conversion strategies; taking strangers and turning them into paying customers through a step by step process. I broached the subject by asking for examples of techniques that audience members have had success with. It would have been a great opportunity for an association to share a success story. Crickets. More than 30 associations were on the line and none could share a technique, a process, that they had used to move a stranger down the funnel into being a paying member. Just saying that your company or association is using social media to find new customers doesnt make it so. Conversion doesnt happen unless a plan is in place to move your prospects through the process you have set up.
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That being said, we all know that some businesses are using social media marketing to dramatically convert strangers into friends into customers. They are using techniques that include landing and squeeze pages, auto-responders, distributing free valuable content, using copywriting principles, and other well though through technique to reach their conversion goals. 2. Retain existing customers. This is the Retention/ Loyalty Goal. I am seeing a lot of this. Businesses are reaching out to their current customers through the various social media sites and encouraging them to join a group or be a fan. They are also collecting email addresses for distributing newsletters and special offers. Keeping a current customer is less expensive than creating a new customer, so this is a valid strategy. 3. Spread the word. This is the Awareness/Reputation Goal. This is the most prevalent goal I am seeing. Rather than focusing on strangers with a systemized process to convert them into customers, or staying in touch
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with current customers, most small business and associations are using a shot gun approach of adding as many friends, followers, and fans as they can. That is not to say this is a bad goal. It can be a great goal if it is part of a larger, overall, strategy. Where it is a problem is when an organization thinks its goal is conversion but in reality they are selling the wrong thing to the wrong audience and getting nowhere. When you get to the strategy section, you will see which strategies apply to which goal. What is going to be your main goal? Dont worry if you have multiple goals. Most of the strategies that I am going to share with you touch on all 3 goals. But write your main goal down, because that is what you are going to measure success against.
Chapter 13
Metrics
You can never reach your goal if you cant measure it. I like to use the SMART method of goal setting. S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Timely Given the possible social media goals for your business, decide how you will measure progress and success. You can measure using a multitude of social media metrics. Keep in mind that not all of them are valid indicators of progress or success.
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For example, if your goal is Acquisition/Conversion and you are measuring unique blog visitors but not sales, you are missing the point. Sure, it is great to have 10,000 people visit your site, but if your goal is conversion and your conversion rate is zero, then having 10,000 visits cannot be counted as success. To give you some ideas of the various things that can be measured, here is a partial list: Friends, Fans, Followers, Interactions, Mentions, Links, Unique Visitors, Downloads, Subscriptions, Sales, Leads, Calls, Email leads, Re-tweets, Direct Messages, Etc.... Write down the metrics that would indicate progress or success in reaching the main goal. If you really dont know enough about these various measures you may need to do additional research. It is beyond the scope of this book to delve deeply into social media metrics. Here are some resources of information on social media metrics: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/social-media-metrics/
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http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/8-social-media-metrics-you-should-be-measuring/ http://rhappe.typepad.com/thesocialorganization/ social-media-metrics.html Now that you have your goal written down and also the metrics you will use to measure success, it is time to build your social media presence. It starts with making sure your brand fits the story you are going to tell your target market.
Chapter 14
your Brand
All of the goals require you to plan and implement a branding strategy. When it comes to creating the brand, consider your story, the Laws of Society, your unique value proposition, and the world-view of your target market. FIrST IMPreSSIoN You never get a second chance to make a good first impression First impressions are lasting impressions You could do everything else right, but if people dont buy into your brand, you are sunk. 1. Image Use a well thought out and professionally taken photograph that will instantly invoke both the Law of Authority and Law of Liking. Use the
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same image on all the social media sites. If you must use a logo, rather than the personal image, then have the photo of you inset. It is imperative that people know they are networking with a specific person. I insist that people want to have relationships with other people, not buildings or businesses. The correct strategy is to post an image of the person doing the social networking/social media. If other employees are going to be posting they need to sign their posts so people know who they are networking with. A simple signature or statement, This is from Beth does the trick. A small business can easily create pages and accounts for all the employees so they can network for the company as individuals. 2. Name Use your real name. Again, people crave interaction and relationships with other people. All people have names. If you must use the corporate name then sign all your posts so people will know who they are interacting with. Never use a made up name, nick name, or anything other than your name. If you have a famous or infamous name then do something to differentiate by adding your middle
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initial and perhaps your profession at the end, such as Jim Smith Expert Growth Coach. 3. Bio All the sites allow you to post a short biography. To allow this to be blank is a travesty. It screams laziness or carelessness. For people to like and trust you, they have to know something about you. Remember, they are trying to fit your story into their world-view. If you put things in your bio, such as what youre passionate about, what youre an expert in, your hobbies, what you care about (family values or care for the homeless, for instance) then you are creating a story they can relate to. Personally, I wont follow or be friends with anyone that doesnt fill out their bio. 4. Words The words you use, and how you use them, is critical. Spelling is crucial. If your posts are riddled with spelling errors, your readers cant help but judge you as uneducated or lacking attention to detail. If your grammar is bad, that brands you as unintelligent or not caring. Either way, bad spelling, grammar, and rude, crazy or inappropriate words ruin your brand and make it impossible for
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me to share your story. You then lose out on social proofing. Remember, once I have forwarded something of yours, I have started down the pathway of consistency. By the way, I have left several spelling and grammar issue in this book for those who love to find them and point them out! 5. Item of Interest - People like other people who are like themselves or whom they would like to be like. Be interesting by providing comments and posts that show you have things in common with your audience, that you are real, that you are funny, that you can laugh at yourself, and that you make mistakes too. If it is all corporate all the time, people will have very little in common with you. Reaching your marketing goals will be much harder if you are unapproachable. 6. Make sure that you use the Law of Social Proofing and Law of Authority to build up your credibility. Post many testimonials and endorsements on your blog and the other sites. Put up your client list. If you have been interviewed by, or have an association with, major well known brands or entities, make
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sure that people coming to your site see that. We are all judged by the company we keep. 7. Consistency This is a different kind of consistency from what I have discussed previously. In order for your brand to stand out, you need to maintain consistency across channels and in posts. You should set a posting schedule. Seth Godin posts daily. I post Monday through Friday. Some others do 3 times a week, weekly, or monthly. The more the better, but consistency is the most important factor. If you go AWOL, people will question your commitment or simply get bored and move on. There are dozens of social media sites. You cant possibly give them all your full attention. It is better to pick a few and commit to them. 8. # Followers, Friends, Fans This goes back to the Law of Social Proofing. If I come across your business through an Internet search; meaning I dont yet know, like, or trust, you, then we are strangers. I am going to interpret what I see on your site as your story and see if it matches my world-view. Hopefully, I will say, Thats for me! One of the best clues I
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have of your value and credibility is whether others think highly of you. If I go to your Facebook Fan Page and you only have a few fans, then I am going to be more cautious. On the other hand, if you have hundreds or thousands of fans, I can take that as pretty good social proof that you provide value. Same with comments, subscribers, visitors, etc.if your numbers arent good, you need to get them up quickly or hide the bad social proofing. 9. Self Promotion There is no law that says you have to hide your business or association under a basket. You are allowed to share that you are doing a webinar, hosting a conference call, having a sale, or doing a special. The key is that people need to see that you are not only using social media for self-promotion. Chris Brogan has mentioned that 1 out of 10 posts, or so, can be self promotional. Really, this is not a hard ratio to live up to. Between sending out helpful tweets, sharing others Facebook posts, wishing your friends Happy Birthday, and a myriad of other actions, you can easily live within this ratio. Some days you might have some big campaign starting
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and you fail to live up to the goal. Just know that in social media you have followers because they like your story and it fits in with their world-view. They will cut you some slack unless you abuse the situation. They can always unfriend you and life goes on. Dont think that you telling your friends about your business is verboten. That is garbage. You have to make a living, you love what you do, you have a great story, if you didnt share it from time to time then you would be withholding from the relationship. The end result from these simple branding tips is that people like to do business with those they know, like, and trust. Use your branding to show you are the expert (Law of Authority), that you are a real person, and that your story matches their world-view. Be open, fun, transparent, loving, and kind. Give Gifts. Be Generous. Now that you have established your brand, lets cover certain social media rules that apply, no matter your individual or business goals.
Chapter 15
rules of the road

Make sure you understand and implement these points before moving into creating content, engaging, listening, and converting your new friends, followers, and fans into customers. 1. Marketing - I dont think we are yet to a point where most firms can entirely drop old school advertising and marketing. We are getting there, but for the most part, social media is an excellent (amazing really) add-on, but think hard before you shut off the current funnel that generates your leads and customers. A new business just starting out can build their business model strictly around social media. Old school businesses that rely upon other lead generation sources, such as trade shows, ads in various publications, telemarketing campaigns, etc. are better off adding social media to the mix.
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2. Quality - When posting content, answering questions, creating video or audio pieces or doing any of the other actions I am going to show you next, do it to the best of your abilities. I am not saying you have to hire a Hollywood producer to shoot your videos. Not at all. What I am saying is that even though you may have a small staff, or it is only you, that is no excuse for shoddy quality. There is no requirement for perfection, either. People will appreciate that you shot the video, you wrote the blog piece, and you yourself answered the question. What could hurt your brand, for example, is if you post something that you rushed and it has multiple spelling or grammar issues. Spelling a word wrong is one thing; complete lack of attention to detail is another. Think quality over quantity. 3. Staff - Lets talk about who on your staff, if you have staff, should be doing the social media for your company. Here is my point of view. Any person in your employ that you allow to talk to customers should absolutely be allowed to use social media to further your company. If I was you, I would en-
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courage every single employee you have to use social media to grow your company. Think of it this way, lots of strangers and acquaintances are going to be talking about your company online. Doesnt it make sense that your employees are there, too? Hire good people. Give them instruction and training, and allow them to become social media assets to your firm. Now, having said that, you do need to set clear guidelines, an employee policy, for both their peace of mind and yours. There are many fine firms that can do this for you. Email me if you need help. 4. The Basics - Lets talk about the tech side of social media. Do you have your Internet basics handled yet? I am talking about your listing appearing high on the various major search engines. Have you claimed your business on the check-in sites, such as Foursquare? The last thing you want is to generate a lot of interest in your company through social media but then have people search for you, or try to check-in, and come up blank. You can do this work yourself but I HIGHLY recommend using a firm that does this kind of thing day-in and day-
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out. With the rate of change and how complicated it has become to stay abreast of the technical end, it is in your best interest, to outsource back office and technical operations. I know and like the folks at Molo Media. They can handle anything technical for you, leaving yourself free to create. Use experts for things like: e. Setting up and designing your blog and Facebook fan page. f. Search engine and social media optimization. g. Local search. h. Setting up your subscription forms and categories for your newsletter and email campaigns. i. Reserving your name and your businesses name on all the potentially important social media sites. Remember, social media is a revolutionary change and revolutions dont go smoothly or in a straight line. Today it is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Linkedin. Tomorrow it could be Foursquare,
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Quora, and Yelp. RSVP your name now or you could be sorry down the road. j. Your e-commerce abilities. k. Video. Sure, you can do this stuff yourself; but dont. You will find yourself investing hours in getting up to speed and then have it change on you. 5. Profiles - Completely fill out your profiles. Then build up your friends, fans, and followers before you rush headlong into your full social media efforts. This is a bit of a balancing act or catch-22. You have to provide quality content to get followers, but if the followers show up and the content is sparse, or if there is the sound of crickets because you have no other fans, then the bad side of the Law of Social Proofing kicks in. So, here is what you do:
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a. Post several items of quality content to each of the sites you are going to focus on. This seeds the site. b. Reach out to people to follow you (I am using follow here as a general term. Think friend, fan, contact, whatever). For example, if you follow 100 specific people on Twitter, folks in your local chamber for instance, a lot of them will follow you back. Why do they do that? Reciprocity. c. Do the same on LinkedIn. Reach out to current and past associates. The vast majority will accept. Give the gift of a recommendation (Law of Respect) and the majority will reciprocate. d. Same with Facebook. The point is, provide some seeding so when people come to your blog, fan page, your Twitter wall, etc. they see that there is quality and value. 6. Niche - If you are marketing products that appeal to different target markets, then you shouldnt drive them all to the same site. For example, if I go to your blog to check out your high end mens golf clubs
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and you have a post on the latest fashion for ladys hats, there is a good chance I will bounce out. Now, if they are ladys GOLF hats and I can see from the site that there is a section for me on mens golf clubs, that can be OK. Not great, but OK. This is really common sense. You are telling a story, you are looking for people with a world-view that will say, Thats for me! You cant satisfy or sell something to somebody that doesnt fit. Dont try. Set up a different blog, fan page, and the rest. That is not to say that you cant expand your niche in your target market, to golf balls for instance. Just not ladies evening gowns, as it will confuse your base. In the next section, I will cover many of the best strategies I have come across as I have traveled the country speaking and training audiences. These are proven strategies that I have seen in action.
Bonus Chapter
Strategies
Give Gifts. Be Generous is built around you taking action first. The core action in social media, what gets the ball rolling, is providing valuable content that appeals to your target market. Lets talk about what content is. Anything that you post to a social media site or platform is content. That would be pictures, videos, blogging, check-ins, comments, tweets, questions, answers, opinions, etc. That is all content. That doesnt necessarily make it valuable content but it is content, none the less. If you arent posting, but instead lurking, then you arent really using social media to build your business. You could say you are doing research. Listening has value. You would have a point. But this book was written to help you reach one or more of the 3 major social media for business goals, Conversion/Retention/Awareness. You must participate to achieve success.
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Think of content as a gift from you to your customers and potential customers. The content you provide needs to appeal to those specific people. Sticking with the high end mens golf clubs example, your content needs to relate in some way to your target market of well off male golfers. Dont worry; skills are cheap, passion is priceless. If youre passionate about your content and you know it and do it better than anyone else, even with few formal business skills you have the potential to create a million-dollar business. ~ Gary Vaynerchuck, Author of Crush It, garyvaynerchuk.com Strategy # 1 - Provide Information In all your social media efforts, providing information should be your starting point. People crave information that will improve their lives (enlightens them to new opportunities, relieves problems that are keeping them up at night) and builds upon and validates their world-view. I was talking to a veterinarian about what she could be posting that would be of value to her customers and potential customers. She didnt think she had much worthwhile to write about. Within a few minutes of me asking questions,
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she realized that she had a lifetimes worth of knowledge and insights - information that would be of value to all people with pets. She could post on seasonality issues, such as fleas searching for a nice warm dog as the winter set in. She could post advice on the best off-the-counter medicines for common pet problems. She could post her opinion on the best dog breeds for families with young children. She understood then that she really had an unlimited supply of valuable content to give. She also understood that not every post would apply to every reader, but that her target market (people with pets), and her niche (family pets versus large farm animals), still allowed her to provide an endless supply of information; or to put it another way, she could Give Gifts. Be Generous till the cows came home. Key Point: You may not like this key point but it is critical to reaching your business goals through social media. You must have a blog and post to it regularly. I know that blogs are hard work. How bad do you want to be successful? That bad? Then you must commit to your blog. Contact me if you need help. On a regular schedule, post valuable and helpful information. Remember to make it relevant to your target market.
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Informational posts that offer guidance, tips, industry insights, tricks, advice and recommendations are all valuable. Here are some guidelines. a. Keep it relatively short. 2 to 3 paragraphs should do if you are posting on a regular basis. If a post is too long people might not take the time to read it. If you must write a long piece because you have especially important information or its complicated to say, that is OK. You could break a long piece up into multiple short pieces and schedule them over a week or two. b. Post to your blog first. Nearly everything starts there or ends up there. You own your blog, its url, its content, etc.That is not always true with the other social media sites. Consider your blog your world headquarters. c. Once posted to the blog, share the post to your Facebook fan or personal page. That is a gift of information. Keep it professional, not needy. Try to make it so that you are sharing information, not saying, Look at me. Buy from me. Hire me. If
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the content reaches the right target market and it agrees with their world-view, then your information (and story) might break through the clutter. d. Once posted to your blog, post a link to it on Twitter. If you are using other social media sites, such as the article sites, post your piece there too. The more places the better because what you are doing is creating avenues for your future customers to find you. e. If and when you get comments on your blog or other sites, make sure you acknowledge them as soon as possible. The quicker you answer the questions/comments/concerns the more the person feels accepted and validated. Remember the Law of Acceptance and Respect. f. When you get questions, answer them thoughtfully and professionally. Give Gifts. Be Generous. The more thorough and complete the answer, the more professional and giving you will appear. Dont think for a second that you are giving away free information that you should be charging for.
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Give. Then give some more. Now, having said that, attorneys, CPAs, doctors, etc. probably shouldnt pretend to be Dr. Laura and answer complicated questions without enough info. Let common sense be your guide here. g. Timely information versus evergreen A great strategy to get you a lot of viewers is to watch the news in your field of expertise. If something about golf clubs, or golf for that matter, makes the news, then a post on it could get lots of visitors because people will flock to the search engines with those key words. Tip If you want to write a weeks worth, or a months worth, of blog posts in a day and queue them up for later posting, Wordpress allows for that. If you are sitting in an airport waiting for your flight and have a few hours, you can easily get the upcoming months blog posts written and scheduled. h. It is a good strategy to have guest blog posts from other experts in your field.
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i. Notice that I didnt discuss meta tags, search engine optimization, or other technical details? Dont try to do that yourself. Your time is way too valuable creating content and building relationships. APPLyING THe SeCreT LAWS oF SoCIeTy To THe STrATeGIeS The Law of Reciprocity When someone from your target market reads something on your blog that is valuable to them, making their life better, and they didnt have to pay for it, then it is a gift. As we have discussed, the Law of Reciprocity compels us to reciprocate. The sharing of your post, or tweeting it out, for example, is a great way to reciprocate. It basically says, Thank you for posting this piece. It was helpful. I will share it with my friends because it helps you and helps them. The Law of Consistency: Do you know what a bounce rate is? You should. Bounce rate is the percentage of people that arrive to your site but immediately, without going deeper, bounce away. People
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can bounce away for a variety of reasons but the most likely reason is that your story doesnt fit their world-view. If that happens, if they bounce away, then you have no chance of invoking the Law of Consistency. In social media the smallest of acts, such as subscribing to your feed or newsletter, can be the spark needed to start a long term, mutually beneficial relationship. While you appreciate that you now have their email address and permission to contact them, perhaps even more importantly, they have told themselves that what you have is valuable. If they didnt think it was valuable, they wouldnt have subscribed. Their sharing of your posts or commenting in a positive light does the same thing. It starts them down the path of being a champion for you. But they have to take an action. The Law of Social Proofing: Remember the quote by Roberts, that 95% of people are followers? People are getting busier and busier, so they are relying on the opinions of others more and more. When a
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new prospect finds your site and there are all sorts of examples of the Law of Social Proofing in play, such as lots of testimonials, comments, widgets showing your Facebook fan counts and Twitter counts, other widgets showing you are on ALLTOP or ranked in the top 1% of bloggers in your field, etc.All of this adds greatly to your chance of converting this prospect into a customer and a champion for you. The Law of Authority: If you have branded yourself, your firm, and your blog well, the Law of Authority is in play in your favor. The higher your obvious expertise and credibility, the more likely people are to rely on you for services and information on your niche. If your posts are non-self promoting, and you have diligently gone out of your way to remove hints of conflict of interest, then people may need to look no further than you and your company for what they require in your niche. This is a very powerful place to stand, as the authoritative voice in your niche. Make sure you have testimonials, awards and other public recognitions plainly displayed either on all the pages or through a tab.
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The Law of Liking: If the graphic design elements of your blog are pleasing to the eye, if you are using an appropriate photo, if your bio is well written, if all the other elements of branding are being successfully employed, there is a good chance the Law of Liking is working for you. First impressions are lasting impressions. In that first nanosecond, visitors are going to ask themselves, Do I like her? Do I trust her? If the answer is yes and yes, then the Law of Liking is in play and in your favor. This is another reason to know everything there is to know about your target market so you can relate with them. They have to immediately feel an affinity for you. Show that you have things in common and that your story matches their world-view. The Law of Scarcity: This applies to everything you do in your business. Price your offerings too low and you dont create demand, you destroy it. Make yourself too available and you become a commodity. Make sure that when you are blogging and posting to the social media sites that you never come off as desperate or needy for business or recognition. People can
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sense these sorts of things and it is a big turn off. One strategy is to price your items where they make your customer say something to the effect of, Its a little more expensive than the others. There must be something special about it. You get what you pay for. And I am worth it. The Law of Acceptance and Respect: Remember Zig Ziglars quote, You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. Maslow established that people want to feel accepted and respected. Years ago, when I was first digging deep into social media to make myself a top expert, I reached out on Twitter to ask, Whats on the bleeding edge of social media? None other than Chris Brogan Twittered back, velvet rope sites. Wow, I said to myself. Chris Brogan had not only seen my Tweet, but he answered it with information that he could have charged for. Chris Brogan is an established author, speaker, successful business man, and consultant in social media. The fact that he took the time for me made me feel special. I was on the radar of one of the top people in
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the industry. I wasnt exactly in the inner circle, but I was acknowledged. In the chamber of commerce I had run, having the Chairman of the Board welcome new members publicly through Facebook was a simple, but grand gesture. It said, in effect, Dear New Member, I know who you are. You are important. You are part of the group now. You are accepted and valued. If a new customer, vendor, employee, or prospect took the time to ask a question about one of your postings and you took the time to provide a thoughtful and complete answer, how will that make them feel? Accepted? Honored? Valued? One of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone is the gift of attention. ~Jim Rohn By answering comments and questions, by engaging with your readers, you will be making it known to those readers that you value them. If you fail to answer questions and comments, then the opposite is true and they will go somewhere else.
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Along with acceptance is the Law of Respect. This is where you not only engage with your readers, but show a special level of respect. If an industry giant posts to your blog and you show them deference, not only is this the right thing to do, but it helps to satisfy this very human need for respect and recognition. You cant and shouldnt treat all your commenters with this level of respect, as that would come off as false. Save your respect for those who have earned it. But, once they have earned it, be gracious about extending this Gift. Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Goals: Acquisition/Conversion, Retention/Loyalty, Awareness/Reputation If your main goal is Retention/Loyalty, then you need to invite your customer base to follow your blog, be your friend on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, etc.Giving your current customers the free gift of information builds loyalty and keeps you top of mind, not to mention the ef-
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fects of the Laws of Society. Make sure you are answering questions and commenting quickly. Use listening tools to make sure you arent missing any comments posted elsewhere on the net. If your main goal is Awareness/Reputation, then you need to make sure the world, especially your target market, can find your posts. Your search engine and social media optimization needs to be first class. You must have a plan for regular posting of great content. Great content will be shared. Again, listening and responding is critical. If your main goal is Acquisition/Conversion, then you can offer your product for sale through an ecommerce solution. In all the strategies, but especially conversion, you need to capture email addresses and their permission to market to them again. The key to conversion is the Law of Consistency. A very small action, such as downloading a report, can easily lead to the purchase of your next highest priced product to the next, and so on. Every once in a while, to use Alan Weiss term, Someone will parachute in and purchase your top of the line product. But usually, it starts with a small purchase that starts the Law of Consistency ball rolling.
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Strategy # 2 - Provide Stories People love to read and share stories. Dont solely post to your blog with industry information, features and benefits, and helpful advice. Lighten up sometimes and tell stories. The posts still need to apply to your target market. Back to our golfing example, a great story about the latest major tournament could entertain and educate your readers. Were you there and did you see or experience something special that you can share? Your firm may or may not play a role in the story, but you know your readers are passionate about golf and will enjoy a good story. Key point here Dont make every post about you or your company. First, you dont want your posts to come off as veiled advertisements. Your product will sell; you will create demand, though Give Gifts. Be Generous. But, if all you do is push your stuff, you will harm your credibility and authority as an expert. Remember, the Law of Authority is extremely powerful, but your authority can be dramatically undermined when people think you have a conflict of interest. By not making a push to sell, you build your credibility as an expert.
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Not long ago, I watched a webinar by two of my heroes, Les Brown and John Maxwell. Over the course of about 40 minutes they provided me, and the other viewers, a wealth of knowledge and insights garnered over their lifetimes. I truly enjoyed the give and take between the two giants. I was sad when they started to wind down the conversation. Now, both of those guys have a business to run and a profit to make. I appreciate that. Throughout the webinar I had a feeling that the info and advice they were giving away, the valuable content, would probably be made for sale at the end as a product. I was OK with that, its business. However, that isnt how the webinar ended at all. They both basically said what a pleasure it had been for them to share their information and they would enjoy doing it again. Good night. That was it. No promotion. No selling. No quid pro quo. I felt this sense of gratitude to them both. They gave tremendous value to me and had asked for nothing. Wow! I was left with a sense of indebtedness to them. Their credibility and authority was maintained because there was no conflict of interest.
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Keep this story in mind next time you provide value. Give Gifts. Be Generous. Dont keep score. Allow the Law of Reciprocity and the Law of Authority, in this case, do their work. The Law of Reciprocity: A good story is a gift. If you entertain me, educate me, help me, or in any way provide me value, then the simple fact of it is that I am compelled to return the favor in some way. The Law of Consistency: If I enjoy the story and you have an easy subscription form, there is a pretty good chance I will subscribe. We love to be entertained and educated. That is the best of both worlds. Make it easy for me to start down the path of being your champion. The Law of Social Proofing: A good story could bring you a wealth of comments and social proofing. Have you noticed that sometimes on Facebook, for instance, you can post something very important and serious and get no interaction, but if you post something light-hearted you get dozens of comments and
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likes? What has more benefit for you? Hard to say, but you must consider that even a silly picture that gets you a lot of interaction evokes the Law of Social Proofing and the Law of Consistency. The Law of Authority: What are the best leaders like? Are they frantic, rushed, hurried, or absentminded? Just the opposite. They are centered, calm, in control, nice, and available. Who is most likely to take the time to share a story that brings the reader joy and information? A good story could easily invoke the Law of Authority by establishing association between the teller and industry giants and brand names. The Law of Liking: Who doesnt like a good story teller? Never use your story, or any part of social media, to degrade or rundown a competitor or anyone else. Social media, especially as it concerns the Law of Liking, is built around lifting people up. The Law of Scarcity: A good story teller can easily work scarcity into story telling. Remember, these laws work best when they are subtle
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and combined. Look for ways to work scarcity into posts and comments. The Law of Acceptance and Respect: It is always a great gift to make someone feel accepted and valued. If you have the opportunity in one of your stories to mention the name of an up and comer, then do it. There are always people trying to break into a new field. Think back on your early days and what it would have meant for you and your career to have an established person pull you out of the crowd, so to speak, and acknowledge you. Give Gifts. Be Generous. Use your stories from time to time to show your respect for those that have achieved in your industry or target market. Realize that when you build others up, you are at the same time showing that you are comfortable in your own skin. Only those that are insecure need to tear others down. Those secure in who they are applaud others that achieve. Strategy #3 - Post Discounts and Promotions A study of why people Like fan pages showed that the number one reason was to receive discounts and promo-
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tions. The number 2 reason was to show support http:// www.socialmediaexaminer.com/study-reveals-why-consumers-fan-facebook-pages There is a multitude of way to promote your businesses using discounts and promotions through social media. Mari Smith wrote a great post on the mechanics of it through Facebook here - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/ facebook-promotions-what-you-need-to-know. You can offer discounts, always in exchange for their email address and permission to communicate with them in the future, through your blog. Clearly discounts, promotions, specials, sales, etctrigger people to take action. We all know of times when we bought something that was on sale even though we werent even shopping for that item. We cant seem to pass up deals and specials. Some people are more susceptible to this than others, of course, but there is no denying their power to motivate a purchase decision. Once a person has made a purchase and used a certain product or service they are going down the road of consistency. That is why you sometimes receive free samples of
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laundry detergent. Sure, the company wants you to see that it works but more than that, they want to plant the seed in your mind that you use that brand. It is a great strategy to offer a discount or special through social media. Make sure you capture contact information and turn that person into a lead, and hopefully, a lifetime customer. The Laws of Reciprocity: Providing a discount can absolutely invoke the Law of Reciprocity. IRL (in real life), if you know that a certain service is x amount of dollars but you are getting a break from your buddy because he wants to help you out, then there is an obligation to do something nice for him eventually. Announcing a deal for your Facebook fans is no different. A restaurant that gives a discount for fans can easily plant the seed that, In exchange for this special price, all we ask is that you check-in when you get here. The Law of Consistency: The main reason to give a deal is to create a long term customer. The key for someone going from stranger to lifetime
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customer is that first use. If the first use never occurs you never have a chance for the Law of Consistency to apply. The Law of Social Proofing: Suppose you post to your Facebook fan page a special and dozens of people comment that is a great price and it is very generous of you to offer it. This is really a no brainer in todays crazy world. You can encourage comments on any social media site. What might have gone unnoticed because people are too busy catches peoples eyes when their friends social proof it. The Law of Authority: One way to invoke the Law of Authority when doing discounts and specials is to tie the offer to expert opinions, awards, public praise or approval, or status. You could say, This product is backed by the leading experts and is now available at this special price only for a limited time and only for our fans. That invokes the Law of Scarcity too. The Law of Liking: You should constantly invoke the Law of Liking in all you do by making sure your product or services are associated
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with leaders and others that stand out in your field. People like to buy from people they know, like, and trust. They also like to buy from attractive people, people who are similar to them, have things in common with them, high status people, and people (stories really), that make them feel good (by affirming their word-view). The Law of Acceptance and Respect: Knowing that I am getting a deal or special that not everybody is privy to is cool. It doesnt fully satisfy Maslows 3rd level but it does feel good. Now, if I start to become friends with the other people in on the deal or special, then I become part of a group. If they would miss me if I was gone, then that is a pretty special feeling. One that we crave. A deal or special that is only available to VIPs can invoke the Law of Respect. There are velvet rope websites that you have to apply to gain entry. Sites for millionaires only. Sites for medical doctors only. Once in, you know you are among people that are likely share you world-view. If community occurs, and some people begin to stand out of the crowd, the Law of Respect would be in action.
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Strategy # 4 - Contests and Giveaways As I wrote about earlier, a major public speaker, author, and coach has started a contest built around people doing a short video on how that author had helped them. In two minutes or less, entrants were simply to state how their lives had been impacted and improved and email in the video. Think of the Laws of Society that are at work here. The Law of Consistency is clearly at work. You wouldnt say all those nice things and not mean it, right? If the speaker gets a lot of videos, and he will, he can post them and enjoy the Law of Social Proofing and the Law of Authority. There is an unlimited number of ways you can hold a contest or giveaway through social media. Make sure you capture email addresses as it starts the Law of Consistency down the track. Many of the other Laws of Society are invoked including reciprocity, social proofing, authority, and scarcity. Strategy # 5 - How-to or other videos At this very moment, chances are that someone in your target market is typing into a search engine looking for information on your niche. Those search engine results could
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easily include a video you create. That customer could come to you through watching the video or a link back to your site. Analogous to posting written information or stories, posting videos is an excellent way of providing valuable content as a gift to your target market. Videos show up very well in search engine results, by the way. YouTube is now the second largest search engine. The same Laws of Society that apply to written posts apply to video. At this point, I hope you understand enough about the Laws of Society and the strategy of Give Gifts. Be Generous to employ them in the following strategies: Strategies 6 - 27 6. Posting images to your blog, Facebook, Twitter account, etc.People love to look at photos. 7. Create and post audio recordings with valuable information that people can either listen to from their laptop, desktop, or mp3 player. 8. Do a free or paid webinar. If you havent yet noticed, webinars and social media is a very powerful combi-
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nation. Mari Smith recently had 6,000 people register to watch a free webinar on the Facebook changes and to hear her Facebook strategies. 2,000 actually did show up and listen to her webinar. She used the webinar to book attendees to her live in person conference. 9. Curate Curating is getting big. The idea here is that with information overload, we need ways of getting the info we need while not being bogged down by what we dont need. Because each of us has unique and special needs and wants, it is extremely hard for a computer program to handle this issue. For a person, though, they can make some good assumptions and add in their personality a bit. For instance, if I love photography but am way too busy to stay up with all the latest stuff, I could visit a site that is being curated around photography. The owner of the site does all the hard work of searching out information on the subject, separating wheat from chaff. That is a valuable Gift. Now, think about your industry. If your blog or site became the curration site for your market and niche, then all those eye-
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balls come to you and you get credit (and perhaps reciprocity) for giving this gift. 10. Community Similar to curration but built around people. If accepted to a community where I feel honored, cherished, and valued, I am going to spend a lot of time there. Heck, I could maybe even move up the pecking order in the community and attain the 4th level of Maslows hierarchy, respect. You can form a community around your target and niche and get business. 11. Contrarian Content The idea here is that not everybody thinks the same. If your content strategy is simply to parrot the conventional wisdom then people might get bored pretty quickly on your site. A great strategy is to be contrarian. Get ready to have people say you are wrong, maybe in strong terms, but that goes along with being the center of attention. By acting as Devils Advocate or arguing unpopular positions, you will generate discussion. Discussion leads to people getting more involved on your site. Pretty soon lots of people feel compelled to offer up an opinion and there is your social proof-
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ing. Now you have a busy site that everybody is talking about. Contrarianism is a great strategy and you shouldnt shy away from it. 12. Offer white-papers, studies, and reports This is a great content strategy because it offers your target market a lot of value. People love to read new information, or information in a different light, but before they can get the paper, they must provide you an email address. So, Law of Reciprocity is there because the report is free and the Law of Consistency kicks in because they have taken a step forward by proving their email address. 13. E-books It used to be a huge undertaking to write a book. You needed a publisher and it could take years. Even self publishing could be a daunting task. Today, with the digital e-book, you can build your authority and perhaps make some money from writing and distributing your thoughts and insights as an e-book. It is still difficult and time consuming but easier than it used to be.
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14. Entertain There is value in entertaining your target market. Fun videos, photos that make your readers laugh, jokes, cartoons, etcwhatever, as long as it causes your target market to want to do business with you. People do business with those they like according to the Law of Liking. 15. Answering questions A growing area of social media are the sites that allow people to post questions for experts to answer. LinkedIn has this feature. Quora too. If you monitor (more on this later) the question and answer sites for your companys area of expertise, you will come across questions that you can answer. That is a gift. Once you have done so, post the question along with your answer to your blog. Of course you would then Twitter out and Facebook share that you had answered that question. 16. Cases - People love to read case studies. We dont always simply want the information; we want to know more details. Cases can be done in a variety of ways but the key is that it walks a reader through, from beginning to end, so they can really wrap their
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mind around the issue and see solutions in a real world scenario. 17. Post quick tips and tricks You may not have the time to post a full 3 paragraphs so every once in a while simply post a quick tip. 18. Post inside information, advanced notice, secrets This is a great way to Give Gifts and Be Generous to those who have chosen to follow you. Everybody loves to be in on the inside of a joke or have the best information. 19. Listen for key words and respond For example, a Twitter search for Mens Golf Clubs could pick up chatter from folks in your target market needing info on your niche. Chime in with quality information. Do be overly self promotional. Give value. 20. Follow everyone local and start a relationship. If you have a business focused on the local population, do a search for everyone using Twitter in your zip code. There are several sites that provide this kind of information. Follow them. They will follow back and now you can provide information. If their world-
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view matches your story, youre in. Do the same for your industry if you are not a local provider. Reach out. Get on peoples radar and then provide value . 21. Arrange meet-ups. Bringing people together face to face is providing a lot of value. Magic happens when people that have only met each other online finally meet face to face. 22. Reach out to specific people in your niche. You will be amazed at the people you can get to know through social media. The old saying was that we were 6 degrees of separation from anyone in the world, including billionaires. Now it is 1 electron of separation. 23. Ask for reviews, ratings, check-ins. This is a no brainer for restaurants though I rarely see it. I recommended this strategy, of encouraging check-ins, to a local pastor recently. Wouldnt it be great to see 20 people check-in that they were all at the same church. Others would say, I should check that church out.
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24. Listening. You must use the tools available to you, usually for free, to listen for any mention of your business and industry. Google Alerts is one such free service. You absolutely need to know when people are discussing your brand, business name, niche, etc.If it is because a customer is unhappy with you, fix it. If it is because the customer is unhappy with somebody else, offer your help. Help people to find you and your story. 25. Crowd Sourcing. Asking your customers and strangers for feedback on your new logo, new service, new ideas, whatever, by crowdsourcing it is a great idea. Once people have chimed in they feel included and the Law of Consistency comes into play. 26. Newsletter. A newsletter is simply a must. Ask people for their email addresses in exchange for valuable information, specials, deals, and offers. Dont bombard them with self-promotion. Instead, provide a lot of value. If you do have a special offer, feel free to include it but never make the newsletter all about
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selling. Make it 90% about valuable information and content. 27. Simply interacting and engaging. Have fun and enjoy your relationships. The investment of your time and attention pays great dividends
Conclusion
This book is a call to action. I want you to know and act on the fact that the secret of success isnt strictly hard work day after day. There is another part to it, perhaps a more important part, which starts with Give Gifts Be Generous. The strategy is much deeper than it looks on the surface. A quick recap - Know the world-view of your target market, craft your business story to bust through the clutter. Create and market your unique value proposition so that you clearly stand out in your niche. Reach people emotionally through your story. Dont try to install your own blog or do your own search engine optimization. Leave the technical ends to the experts. Provide value by creating content, telling your story, building relationships, and letting the Laws of Society work their magic. Know what your goal is in using social media and know which measurements you are going to judge success by. Dont give up too quickly be-
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cause like all great things, it takes time, practice, and effort. Create quality content, using your blog as the launching pad and world headquarters. Use the Internet to listen for mentions of your brand, niche, company, etc. Engage with your customers and prospects. Capture email addresses and stay in touch with your customers and prospects. To paraphrase Seth Godin..Convert strangers into friends, friends into customers, and customers into salespeople. Final tip - I have guide-books, audio tapes, video training courses, and other products at http://FrankJKenny. com that can help you create and implement your social media marketing strategy. If you need help with any of this, email me.
resources
Website, blog, SEO, Local Search, Text http://www.molomedia.com/ - affiliate Chamber of Commerce CRM http://ChamberMaster.com - affiliate Robert Cialdini - http://www.influenceatwork.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_ needs The Networking Motivator http://wwwTheNetworkingMotivator.com/ - affiliate http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ http://www.marismith.com/ http://www.chrisbrogan.com/
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http://michaelhyatt.com/ http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ http://www.burg.com/ http://www.ziglar.com/ http://www.johndavidmann.com/ http://juliensmith.com/ http://timwing.com http://NorthBayMortgage.com http://www.acce.org/ - affiliate http://waceonline.org/ http://www.wcce.org/ - affiliate http://institute.uschamber.com/ http://barrymoltz.com/ http://www.chriswidener.com/ affiliate http://www.facebook.com/mindy.byers
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http://www.joejoan.com/home http://www.hightperformance.com/ - affiliate DISCLOSURE: Some of these are affiliate links, meaning I may be compensated if you purchase any products from these sources. I wouldnt share the links if I didnt believe in the people/products/services offered, but you should obviously do your own due diligence before making any purchases.

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