I heard from my friend Paul Colligan this morning. If you don’t know Paul, you are missing out. Follow Colligan on Twitter and listen to what he says. The man is a genius at marketing.
Paul told me about a video on YouTube. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much. A young woman with a new product and a cause. Since I got the link from Paul, I knew it would be worth a minute.. IT WAS.
The video is Daniella Armijo from Cause For a Cause, selling a handmade case for your iPad.
I don’t use a case for my iPad, but I do love a good story.. and I was sold by what Daniela told us.
Case For A Cause exists to help women from this area escape from a life of abuse – whether domestic abuse, forced prostitution or human trafficking. Every penny of the profits goes back to help these women develop and sustain a better quality of life. All artisans are paid a fair wage to make each case, and the Issyk Kul Development Center is provided valuable funds to help their work of intervention, counseling, job training, and other programs to help these women gain hope and the possibility of a better future for themselves and their children.
Now she really had my attention. A handmade product, each unique in design and what a story to share every time you go anywhere with your iPad.
Smart marketing.
While I’m wondering which of the color combinations would work best for me, Daniella went on to explain more about the women the project and company are helping.
This is not some simple “send some money so you won’t feel guilty” pitch, the Case for a Cause web site has details which Daniella summarized in the video.
All profits are sent to the center
Participants are rescued from some horrible situations
Women are trained to be self sufficient
Here’s Where You Can Learn Something
The video doesn’t stop with a plea for help, a sales pitch for the product or the way overused “help us get the word out” appeal. Daniella explains a promotion that is
Easy to do
Specific in explaining the details of how this will help
Incentivized
How can you resist? Watch the video now.. and I’ll add a couple more ideas to create a win/win for you
I’ve placed the video here, but you want to open it up on YouTube when you’ve read the rest of this post.
Action Steps to Follow Today
I’ve already done some of these and a few of the other tactics I used every day to share good stuff and build relationships online. I am share a few obvious steps that I’d like to do as a minimum:
Make sure you are signed in to YouTube and click on the LIKE button
If you’re YouTube account is set up right, this will send a Twitter and Facebook post. If not, make sure you share it in at least two places.
Very important. Daniella is asking for comments. Follow here instructions in the video to win the prize, or just because it is the right thing to do
Consider a blog post, a Facebook video share, or Tumblr with this video and idea. Just like I did here. You can tell your own story, give another shout out to Case for a Cause and give your community something to talk about besides “buy my stuff”
The publicity value of doing good is great for any business. Naturally, in this age of transparency, people will know if you are doing it just to look good, but I know you aren’t like that. You will be authentic in sharing your feelings about the issue, the people involved, the women being helped and the cool new case. You’ll be doing good and looking good.
Speaking of looking good. Did you order one of those cases?
Like any breakthrough site on the Internet, Pinterest has the pundits clamoring to explain how this is either a fad or next big thing.
As usual, there is more fiction than fact.
Pinterest is doing well for sure. The company has funding, income and a lot of press about how well it’s doing. Most say that there is an unique appeal.
Question is how profitable would it be for you to use right now.
Fact: Users in the US are mostly female
Fiction: Female users are attracted to visual.
Pinterest is a sharing site. Seems to reason that women would be more apt to share this way. That’s one guy’s opinion from a lifetime of observing men and women and quite a bit of study in social psychology.
Speaking of studies, I’ve read many times how men are more visually stimulated than women. There is also research to suggest that men are naturally better an some number crunching code tasks(visualizing data), but more often the books I’ve encountered suggest that men see are visual simulated while women use feelings (like connection and sharing).
The growth numbers shared in the past couple of months show amazing growth for Pinterest. At current rates of growth, they’ll have more users than there are people on the planet in no time.
Fact: Traffic has taken off in the past two months
Fiction: This growth is going because we love Pinterest
It sure looks like Pinterest has reached a tipping point. The site is 3 years old, and has changed over time, but now seems to be doing everything right.
Some would say this is a magic formula or breakthrough in technology. Frankly, I don’t see that. Facebook allows you to tag and share photos. There has been a fad there for the past few months of putting a quote on a postcard and getting it virally shared. As sharing gets easier, people want to share. This is a trend that will continue for some time.
From what I see, Pinterest does a better job of sharing technically, and benefits from the social graphs users have on Facebook. I’m wondering how much of the rapid growth is due to Facebook?
Pinterest looks to be a success, but it’s not going to crush everyone. Some pundits want to tout a new platform for social media. They seem to think there is certain path:
Friendster –> MySpace –> Facebook –> Whatever’s Next
They ignore how the platforms overlapped and start to wonder off when you ask how to add Twitter, YouTube or Linkedin. Let’s not forget there are more blogging sites creating social interaction than anything else, and email use still trumps them all.
There’s no reason that one has to fail to give us a new winner. The companies that have fallen from grace have had management and technical issues and I like to remember that MySpace is still a giant site when compared to most anything but MySpace.
So What is the Pinterest Secret?
The game is not over. All the facts are not in. but here’s what I think might be behind the rapid growth we’re seeing at Pinterest.
Good execution.
Sharing is super easy. You can click a button and share. Once you click, you can easily pick an existing pinboard or add another. Compare this to the albums of photo sharing sites.
Push to your network. The latest design of Facebook has been rolling out in the past few months and Pinterest is doing a great job of pushing it’s content to the new timelines.
Easy to add your connections. Like most social networks, you can connect existing social graphs to Pinterest. Some aggressive young companies code their sites to make it easy to add everyone that is on, others make you invite each friend. Pinterest has the best one click add I’ve ever seen.
Clandestine sign ups. Pinterest emails infer that a friend has found you, and asked you to join them. In reality, it’s well written script that sends out invites to your friends and assumes you’ll like it when they show up (which may be true).
For the most part, these aren’t unique to Pinterest. They are doing a good job of implementing tactics that work. Add a simple design and what appears to be good coding to make the site faster than others and you’ve got a winning recipe.
Can You Be More Like Pinterest in Your Business?
Perhaps the best idea I’ve got from watching Pinterest is how good business ideas, executed well with some creative flair will usually win.
I talk to businesses about little things they are getting wrong and am astounded by how often pivotal ideas are dismissed to focus on things that don’t work. Unfortunately, this is just as true for me on this very blog (and many other areas)
Before we jump onto a Pinterest push, I suggest we take a minute and look at our own businesses. What would it take to create an elegantly simple path for your customer to engage, buy and share your profitable products and services?
We may have our own tipping point moments sitting just a few steps away.
Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale’s rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age.
Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit, a social-voting news website with geek allegiances, a small-town feel and a penchant for lighting up the memes your friends IM you about next week.
Emerging Leader of United Way Social Media Training and Workshop for businesses and leaders on October 28th at 5:30 at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in Los Angeles
Warren Whitlock of BestSellerAuthors.com will train local business leaders on social media strategies they can use to create a buzz, draw a crowd, raise funds and build a community with a non-profit events. The live interactive training session and workshop will cover how social media can grow your business and help build awareness for campaigns such as United Way’s Creating Pathways Out of Poverty plan.
The workshop is open to the public. Seating is limited, RSVP by calling 213.808.6251 or via email EmergingLeaders@unitedwayla.org
BestSellerAuthors.com is a web site for authors, speakers, business professionals and though leaders sharing new ideas, best practices and promotional ideas to help experts create a presence online, share important memes and messages, attract new readers and business leads and create online marketing systems to make a book (or idea) a best seller. Warren Whitlock is the publisher.
United Way is a worldwide network in 30 countries and territories, including nearly 1,300 local organizations in the U.S. It advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all. Our focus is on education, income and health – the building blocks for a good quality of life. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED is a call to action for everyone to become a part of the change.
United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty by helping homeless people move into housing, providing students with the support they need to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change.
I set a goal of creating 100 interviews at this year’s Blogworld.
I went to a couple of pre-event parties and started using QIK from my cell phone last night. The camera has outstanding video quality, and for the most part, the sound is pretty good.
From past experience, I know there will be at least 100 blogger that will have a quick tip for other bloggers, authors who want to market a book to best seller (some best selling authors are in also speakers here) and will have other tips and idea from thought leaders in many areas.
I’ll post some here, most will be live on my QIK channel and others will be on blogs I write for. If the technology works, you’ll some right below this paragraph
I’ll be speaking at UnSeminar 8 coming up in Austin Texas.
There is plenty to learn from the speakers, but the best reason to attend events like this is the long term relationships that develop from interacting with other attendees.
As I go through my preparation to network, I thought it would interesting to document some of the way the networking with speaker and attendees works so well for me.
Know Who Will Be There
As soon as I book a trip, I look for social media connections.
I have been doing this for a while, so most of the speakers are already friends on and off Twitter. For the few that I couldn’t recall, I used a Google search. Here is the syntax I use do find a user on Twitter using Google.
Google searches for occurrences of the text between the quotes on Twitter. Usually, you’ll get only the most active use with that name. You click on the link, see the profile and FOLLOW the person.
While on Twitter, be sure to read their recent tweets and click through to their blog and bio links.
Making a List and Checking it Twice (a day)
I created a list of these user handles to follow. I use PeopleBrowsr where I’ll keep a stack (column) open between now and June 20th to see what others are tweeting about. I’ve found that PeopleBrowsr is the fastest way to add people to a group and it allows me to keep it outside of Twitter, where the limit to lists is only 20.
You can use a Twitter list (if you do, let me know and I’ll refer others to it) or a group in almost any Twitter client for this. The Twitter search tool has improved, you may be able to find, follow, and list people as fast as the method I described.
I’ll add other attendees to my PeopleBrowsr list as I find and follow them. The speaker list above will likely be left as is to help you get started.
I use this for people I want to know better. I do not wait for them to start talking about the event, and actually prefer to find out what they are talking about besides UnSeminar since I want to have a relationship before and after that event. I already know we have that in common, so I look for what else we can connect on.
Building Relationships Before the Event
Using the links I get from Twitter feeds, I’ll find links to blogs post about whatever expertise the person has, along with other interests on Facebook, LinkedIn and anything else they talk about.
What I’m looking for is their passion. I’ve learned that it’s best to put off my interests for as long as possible and focus on what the other person needs and wants. Many of the famous people I network with are more interested in a charity, cause or avocation than you might think. Some might spend all their time talking about their niche or making money.. that’s okay, but what I’ really want to know is what passion they would follow if they had all the money they ever need. That’s where the real connections lie.
Attack With a Preemptive Love Strike
Here’s where the real fun begins.
Once you have spent a few minutes getting to know a person and their passions, you’ll find at least one thing to love about them. Now we get to put my listen and love marketing strategy into play.
Look for a question asked, a poignant comment, a shared life story or desire from the person you want to know better. I rarely need more than a few minutes to find at least one question or something to provoke a positive comment.
Now do something nice for them. Instead of reading and thinking “that’s nice” TELL THEM in a comment, tweet, or message. Please don’t settle for “nice post” or “I’m a fan (I use that when I’m nervous.. it rarely gets a positive reaction). Take a couple of second more and think of something specific and personal that you can say. It doesn’t need to be long, but it has to show you really mean it.
My friend Dr. Ben Mack is calling the a preemptive love strike which means that you don’t wait for others to reach out to you, you look for ways to show love.
Since I’ve used Twitter and social media to help me show love and appreciate to others, I’ve learned to do it much more often… and now find ways offline to do the same.. handwritten notes, a book from Amazon with a note enclosed, a phone call when it’s not expected.. I can’t imagine ever running out of opportunities.
This works. I just set up a joint venture from sending one post card, I have sold consulting to someone who watched how I tweet positive ideas and made new friends while strengthen bonds with many others from using these love strikes.
Watch for the HashTags
Attendees to UnSeminar 8 will be encouraged to tweet and talk about the event and add “#UN8” to the end of each post. This will trigger a link in their posts and allow others to click and see a stream of every tweet with that tag.
You can view this on the web using cool tools like TwitterFall
You can click on the photo to see the current stream for #UN8 or use this site to set up your own instantly updating stream with whatever search term, list of people you want to see. It’s great for projectors or monitors at events.
Using the hashtag, you can also set up a stack or column in nearly every Twitter client. On the web you can follow us from any browser with Twitter Search
Attend the Preview Webinars
Anyone can attend the free preview webinars to spend time with Pat and the Speakers before the event. Listen to what they teach, but watch for ideas of where you might send a preemptive love strike.
UnSeminar 8 previews are available free online. Most other events offer similar pre-event training. When we do this, it’s a preemptive love strike on attendees and many others who won’t be able to make it.
Event promoters tell me that this doesn’t hurt attendance. In many cases, attendance as the following event goes up due to people hearing the training and deciding they want to get in on the best part.. the live networking.
Come to the Tweet Up
Many events have pre-events the night before the official start time. This is often the best way to get a leveraged fast start on meeting speakers, promoters and experienced attendees for a head start.
Austin Tweet Up expert Kate Buck will be setting up a Tweet up on Thursday June 17th for Austin locals, UnSeminar 8 attendees and you. Follow @KateBuckJr on Twitter and watch for announcements. When you see the invite, you’ll be able to access a list of attendee and follow them.
By the time you get to the Tweet up, you’ll already be seeing friends you met online.
Help Promote the Event
When you tweet about the event, you’ll be doing a preemptive love strike on the promoter, the speakers and other attendees who will benefit from meeting you network.
This can be done even if you can’t make it to the live event.
When you tweet about #un8, point your follower to http://UnSeminar8.com and let them know the handles of the cool people who are speaking or attending. When you tweet something like this:
you know that Pat will see it and appreciate you. This preemptive love strike is about as direct as you can get.
Keep in Touch After the Event
As you begin to use these tips, you’ll find that it takes a lot less time that you might have though before you start. Pretty soon, you’ll have new friends and connections, a network of people that will remember your preemptive love strikes and be looking for ways to help you.
It’s natural to think that you have to sell something to them or perhaps it might be a waste of time. Actually, the reverse is true. The more times you can reach out and help (love) your contacts, the more apt they will be to ask you how they can help you.
When they do, be ready to engage them and move into whatever you need.
Of course you want to keep your goals and desires in mind. I know we can’t do an individual love strike on every contact every day, but I have doubled, doubled again and still increasing my capacity to do this. So far, I can’t see any time that I will want to love less.
These are just a few of the quick steps I take when attending a seminar, and every day. I know each of these work because I’m using them. Do you have other ideas? Please share them with me. Leave a comment, Tweet about this post and let’s discuss what works and what hurdles you see. When you do, I feel your love 🙂
Imagine a time when you’ll have so many asking to engage you, wanting to reciprocate for the love you’ve show and anxious to see you do well.
Now she really had my attention. A handmade product, each unique in design and what a story to share every time you go anywhere with your iPad. 
Sharing is super easy. You can click a button and share. Once you click, you can easily pick an existing pinboard or add another. Compare this to the albums of photo sharing sites. 
