Today we have a Guest Blog Post from Felicity Fields from www.FelicityFields.com

If I were to stand up in a room full of solopreneurs and ask how many people love marketing, one or two very brave individuals might raise their hand. If I were to ask the opposite question – how many would rather do anything else than market their business online – nearly everyone would raise their hand.

But let’s take a step back for a second and ask a bigger question. What if, instead of asking about marketing, I asked that same room of entrepreneurs how they felt about meeting – and working with – interesting, fabulous, amazing people.

Yep, you guessed it: every single entrepreneur’s hand in that room just shot up.

Why?

Everyone likes meeting cool and interesting people

Back in the pre-Internet days, you would have met those interesting people through professional networking organizations, friends of friends, or even an introduction from your boss to someone they thought you should know.

Today, new tools like Facebook, Twitter, email lists, and even blogs have replaced the way in which you meet people.

But it hasn’t replaced how you connect with them.

Rocking your online marketing is about connecting with people

(click to tweet)

 

Despite the massive success of TV commercials, people don’t generally like being told how awesome a product, service, or business is.

Instead, they like doing business with people they know and like, the kind of people who have their best interests at heart. (After all, isn’t that how you decide which training programs and coaching packages to buy?)

That’s what online marketing it all about. That’s what makes Facebook, and email lists, and blogs so popular: they give people – your people – a way to get to know and like you as a person, not just a slick TV ad or a generic ad in the newspaper.

Once people know you and like what you have to offer, they’ll start purchasing your products and services, and recommending you to their network of interesting people.

Those new interesting people will check you out on Facebook, or join your email list, and over time you’ll get to know some of them as people, too.

When that happens, the cycle will repeat all over again, and you’ll encounter an ever-growing tribe of people who are interested in you and what you have to offer. And as a bonus, you’ll be interested in them and their businesses, too!

How to build your online connection funnel

Now that we’ve covered how online marketing is simply a matter of connecting with interesting people, let’s talk about how to make and grow those connections.

Building your connection network is actually as simple as asking yourself two questions:

1. Where am I going to meet new people?
2. How will I encourage these new people get to know me and my business?

 

Answering these questions will give you all the direction you need to set up your “how to meet interesting people” funnel.

 

Question 1: Where am I going to meet new people?

The easiest way to meet new people online is either :

• A) work on getting your website very high in Google search, so that new people will discover you during a relevant Google search or
• B) hang out on Twitter.

If you’re looking for the fastest method, I recommend investing in a Twitter 101 course. Being found in Google search requires time and persistence before you make it to the top of the search results.

Twitter, on the other hand, was designed to be like a cocktail party – you can sit down next to someone and strike up a conversation at any time! Some people you may talk to only once, while others are definitely the kind of interesting people you want to get to know. You can talk to as many, or as few, new people as you like. It’s entirely up to you!

 

Question 2: How will I encourage these new people to get to know me and my business?

Now that you’ve met several interesting people, the easiest way to keep in touch with them online is to either:

• A) encourage them to like your Facebook page, or
• B) ask them to join your email list.

Facebook is the easiest choice, since it takes about an hour to set up your Facebook page, and a mere 15 minutes a day to post updates for your interesting people to read. Plus, everyone understands what you mean when you say “hey, would you “like” my Facebook page?”

Email lists are harder to grow, since people are very leery of giving away their email address. At the same time, you can have much longer and more intimate conversations over email than you can have over Facebook.

 

Your Turn

I sure hope you wrote down the answers to the two questions above, because I’m going to challenge you to set up your “how I’m going to meet interesting people” funnel today.

It’s ok if you don’t know how to use Facebook, or Twitter, or be found in a Google search. Those skills are all learnable. What is important is that you have a plan, and that you start executing said plan.

Today, if possible.

Because the faster you start connecting with people online, the happier you’ll be, both as a business owner and as a human being.

~ Felicity

P.S.  If you’re looking for a super-awesome workshop on setting up your Facebook page, email list, or how to be found on Google search, check out my Online Marketing Boot Camp.  I’d love to see you there!

 

Marketing coach Felicity Fields helps entrepreneurs build awesome businesses by rocking their online marketing.  She is the creator of Online Marketing Boot Camp, a series of 6 hands-on workshops including: how to set up your Facebook page & email list, get started with Google Analytics, and website basics for being found on Google.   More details and registration information can be found on her website at www.felicityfields.com/workshops.