Google Me Baby: Online Marketing Beyond the
Business Card
The
networking game has changed.
In 2008 the
business card is not yet obsolete - but alone this
marketing piece is not enough to spark a long-term
business relationship.
While
you are introducing yourself to a new sales lead know that in the wee hours of the night or first thing
the next business day your name will be typed into
Google for a little covert net spying and prying.
Here
are three tips to online marketing beyond the business
card; plus three pitfalls to avoid.
Start managing your
online reputation today
Sign up for
Google and Yahoo email alerts using your first and last
names as the desired keywords. (Put your name in quotes
to receive information about your name. ) Whenever
someone posts something online about you, good or bad,
you will be alerted within 24 hours via email.
Visit
http://alerts.yahoo.com
and
www.google.com/alerts to start this free
process.
Be
visible through online forums or popular blogs
There no better way to position yourself as an expert
than through online conversation. Build trust in
you reputation with on topic comments that are relevant.
Try to speak in a manner reflective of your position and
knowledge.
Use an effective email signature for every email address
and text message
Too
often people use a quote of the day or some personal
motto for their email signature. You are wasting
precious marketing space by not reminding each contact
of your expertise, service offerings or products.
3 Online and Offline Marketing Pitfalls To Avoid
Your business card is too confusing, busy or outdated
Unless
you are an artist or a graphic designer, forget the
fancy business card. Put your name, email address
and phone number on the front of the card. Include
one descriptive line that describes exactly what you do
on the back. Use this same line as your email
signature, when you introduce yourself and following your web
posts in forums.
You are an online writing perfectionist
No
need to worry about what other people will think about
your website or blog. You are bold enough to pass
out a business card when networking; so back up your
bravado, fight your fears, and start connecting with
people online.
As you start connecting with more people you'll find the
first couple pages of a Google search with your name
will be filled with your own posts and not somebody's
else's random information about you.
You have a website listed on your business card,
but you have the Go Daddy parking page as the
opening advertisement
Why advertise the website url on
your business card, if there's not any additional
information on your website? Set aside $50-150
dollars and hire a young art student to design your logo
and upload a one page website. There's no
excuse for you to be in business without a website or
even a blog. There are many free tools available for you
to start marketing yourself online. Head on over to blogger or wordpress and start marketing online
today.
In the past networking and
marketing consisted of new contacts filing your business
card into their rolodex alphabetically and possibly
calling you the next day to follow up. Today, even the most
enthusiastic contact is secretly performing a covert
search engine operation to determine whether you are who
you say you are.
The tips above can make even the most
timid networking newbie say with pride, " It's a
pleasure to meet you. But if would like more
information, Google me baby."
Mechele Pellebon's career advice gives working women
the
know-how to turn failure into success, and the
encouragement to not spend another second in a job they
don't absolutely love. Follow
Mechele on
Twitter and join her network of friends
on
Facebook.
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