Sep 11
1
Friending on facebook
I want to share with you some amazing experiences that happened to me over the last few weeks!
Whatever you call it… networking, blog hopping, friending – the benefits can be incredible! Essentially it’s about connecting with people.
Be it making friends on facebook, commenting on someone’s blog or them commenting on yours (Proof in point is on my last video post where just being part of Barry’s video challenge I met a whole bunch of new awesome people and they also met me as you can see by the comments) or networking on webinars, seminars and all the other ways, the connections you make can be more powerful and rewarding than trying to simply “buy traffic”.
And I want to share with you some amazing things that have happened to me because of this!
When starting out networking can also be a great way to build a profile and drive traffic but you know that already don’t you. But really benefits extend far past traffic… in fact I think traffic is just a by-product!
So what amazing things happened to me over the last week or 2?? In no particular order I’ve listed below the highlights:
1. Created my first video and now have 30+ comments at time of writing!! It’s so good that people left me that much feedback
and from everyone who comments I pretty much learnt something new.
2. I connected with Robert Corrigan over at www.robert-corrigan.com who offered to help promote my new free product when it launches shortly – he even offered advice about how I could promote it! Priceless
3. Some how I ranked at No. 7 driver of traffic over at Barry’s site http://barry-wells.com/the-top-ten-traffic-sources-of-my-recent-video-blog-challenge/ – I have no idea how – I just posted a link in my blog post and on facebook – and so he linked to me in his latest post (actually you should check out his top sources of traffic as I find that his top sources are also mine (apart from twitter as I don’t have it yet).
4. I had some trouble with my opt in form returning a 404 error and so posted for help on facebook and 10 minutes later I was on a skype call with Simon Dodd who I met at the Instant Profit Seminar in London in June. Simon was able to point me in the right direction and from there I was able to work out how to fix the opt in. He also told me gmail should be able to handle mail coming into this site so I can just access
it via Gmail (as I wanted) and then we just discussed some business strategies and general catch up on his holiday and broken link. Check him out at www.simon-dodd.com (Simon now makes enough money to support himself from his online business – way to go man!).
Blog hopping
So these are great examples that networking, blog hopping, friending can deliver:
– Advice
– Friendship
– Opportunities
– Assistance & Support
– Improved self-confidence
– Access to new ideas
and best of all – it’s fun!
My top tips to network successfully:
– Don’t sell (no one likes being sold to when you just met them – you don’t want to come off like a used car sales man!)
– Find things in common
– Try and find ways you can add value to the person you’re connecting with (be it your personality or something more practical like offering a way to help them make more money)
– Follow up and be responsive to the person you are connecting with!
– Have fun! As someone wisely said to me… life doesn’t have to be so serious!
Traffic really shouldn’t be your focus – while it can be a good source of traffic it can be a slow way to get traffic and take a lot of work if you are simply looking at it from a traffic perspective.
Anyway that’s all for now folks – I gota get to my day job!
Let me know about some of your Awesome networking stories below!!
Nick
Hi Nick, great post. It’s amazing isn’t it that you can be sitting alone in a room with just your computer but you have thousands of people with you through the powers of the internet. If you needed help or advice 10 – 20 years ago you looked up books or you phoned someone, now you can get help and advice from complete strangers in a matter of minutes. The most important part about these new connections is how you treat them, as my Mum used to say, always treat people the way that you would want to to be treated. Life is too short not to help each other. There is a great book that John Thornhill recommended in his Masterclass, it is called The Go-Giver by Bob Burg, if you haven’t read it check it out, brilliant book.
I agree about traffic being a by-product, if you are out there, helping and communicating the traffic will come to you.
You are certainly a natural in this business and on the road to a very successful career. Keep up the good work.
Talk soon.
Take care.
Robyn Campbell
Robyn recently posted..What Will You Do Today?
Hi Robyn,
Wow you were so quick to reply after I posted. Sorry I couldn’t reply earlier – I’ve had a big weekend. Peoples’ Birthdays and also the Brisbane Festival with Riverfire! Did they show the 20min fireworks on the river down there in Sydney?
Thanks for telling me about that book…. Here is a link for anyone else that might be interested http://www.bookdepository.com/Go-giver-Bob-Burg/9781591842002/?a_aid=112233 This review of the book says “aThis modern-day business parable, a quick read in the spirit of “The Greatest Salesman in the World” and “The One Minute Manager,” should do well with eager corporate-ladder climbers a] Over the course of five days, a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real-estate broker and the mysterious aConnectora teach Joe about the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivityaconcepts that make more immediate sense in this fictional context than they would in a formal business book”…
I think I’ll have to get it! Thanks for telling me about it 😀 it sounds like a good read!
Nick
Hi Nick,
I’m really pleased that you got so much from the challenge and have made contact with Rob, he’s a great fella that will help anyone that’s trying to help themselves.
It’s good to hear that Simon was so helpful as well. Like Robyn said, it’s really amazing that we can be sat alone and struggling with something then bamm someone is on Skype, FB, G+ or one of the other sites and is wiolling to help you out and solve the issue.
That’s the great thing about having pals online. I wrote a guest post for Zahid Yakoob that was all about creating relationships and in it I said about things moving for me once I realised how important they were.
You said about not selling to people and again I agree with you Nick. When I get the sales pitch i leave the site and if I go there again and get the same then that site comes off of my list of blogs.
You really should start using Twitter Nick, it can be automated so it doesn’t take all your time up. I spend no more than 30 minutes there a day, some days only 5 minutes. I have a video that’ll show you how to set up Twitterfeed to automatically send your blog comments to Twitter, FB and LinkedIn. Pop over to YouTube Nick my username is barryAwells.
Great post Nick, I look forward to many more like it mate 😉
Oh I tried to +1 the post and got an error, not sure what caused it mate.
Have a great weekend,
Barry
Barry Wells recently posted..The Top Ten Traffic Sources Of My Recent Video Blog Challenge
Hi Barry,
Youtube is owned by Google yet I always find it hard to successfully search for what I want! Does anyone else have that trouble?!?!
After a bit of searching I was able to find it!
Thanks for suggesting the Twitter feed thing – I see it works for twitter, facebook and linked in! Handy. I don’t think I have 30 minutes a day for that just yet but its something I would like to do in the future. I think I saw (and previously linked to) a video on automating comments and the like from Sally but I’ve still not done that yet. I think I should set it up anyway at least just for my facebook.
For everyone who is interested here is the link to Barry’s video http://youtu.be/y0xO7oQrw3I
Do you know what the error was when you clicked the +1? Not sure why it didn’t work either but thanks for letting me know 🙂
Definately a useful tip so thanks again and I’ll have to check out your latest video as well as I think you said I got a mention… Now I’m curious?!
Nick
Hey Nick,
Top post. 😉
I can pretty much say ‘ditto’ to your post. (I was No.8 in the traffic drive, shocked but really chuffed as well.)
Like you, I got alot from the challenge, things I can use now and things to keep for later. The next couple of weeks will be spent getting some of it in order and to use. And of course, the people we meet. Fun and fascinating. 🙂
Thanks Nick for sharing your experience.
Take Care
Julie
Julie recently posted..The Network Discovery Channel – R & R Library
Hey Julie thanks for dropping by!
Well done on your traffic placement! Top 10 is pretty good I recon!
I agree there was so much value in all those videos and good to see they were so varied too.
Have a great week!
Nick
Nick recently posted..Help me name my first paid product – Free copy to you if I use it!
Hi Nick, the G+ button is now working 😉
You wouldn’t need to spend 30 minutes there a day on Twitter mate. I do as i reply on a daily basis but you could do it once a week and thank people for their Tweets rather than their tweet.
I’d get the comments feed set up ASAP Nick, it really will boost your traffic mate.
Have a great week and thanks for linking to my video.
Back soon mate,
Barry
Barry Wells recently posted..Journey To Success Part 5: Never Give Up, Focus and Hard Work.
Thanks Barry and thanks for the add to google plus! So excited!
Nick
Nick recently posted..Help me name my first paid product – Free copy to you if I use it!
Hi Nick…
I am still catching up after vaca so I need to watch your video yet …and I will 😉
But, while I am here thought I would tell you how much I enjoyed this post on networking.
Networking is something I’ve favored for a long time and I nurture my network as much as possible.
Out network is our lifeline online and without it we have no support. That’s the best thing about joining a coaching couse…you have a built in network that you can support and get support back from.
I just can’t imagine working online without it.
Barry’s challenge was great wasn’t it? He is an awesome blogger…and I am glad to hear you’ve been helped by Rob Corrigan…another great marketer.
Good luck with everything Nick…keep coming with videos and I’ll be back…
your posts are awesome, easy to read and educational!
Kathy
Kathy Dobson recently posted..Mission Impossible!
Thanks Kathy,
Well said about networking! It is so true.. And I’ve found that very true too..
The coaching I’m doing is with 10 other people from the Instant Profit Seminar in london. I often get on skype with them and discuss things, there are potential for JV’s with some of them and some have been very helpful with my product development. I can not agree more that when you join a coaching program you have an instant network (and friends haha)!
Hope you had a great Vacation and hope to talk again soon!
Nick
Hi Nick,
I agree that connecting with different people online is really fun especially with those you personally not know. What I like about connecting with these people are the different information that I learn from them that I usually don’t get from people in my circle. 🙂
Hi Tiffany,
This is so true! I also love hearing about peoples stories and what motivates them. Blogging can be so cool!
Thanks for visiting
Nick
Nick recently posted..Alex Jeffreys Unreported Marketing Sneak peak: If a cartoon character can make money online why can’t you? (Part 2)
Great information Nick, I know you really do follow this idea through properly and leave quality comments, which is the real key to being successful with this strategy.
The comment you left at my blog was supportive and informative, which means that it gets approved and will no doubt earn you more traffic.
I have so many spam postings every day which are caught by the filter and then deleted; I almost feel sorry for the spammers, because I know that they have bought into somebody’s product after the promise of massive backlink juice.
It is quality and not quantity that makes the difference.
Gary Riding@Internet Marketing Blog recently posted..| Gary Riding’s Internet Marketing Blog
Hi Gary,
Thanks for visiting and the comment and for signing up to my emails!
I think if your getting spam then it means you’re starting to grow hahah. Thats how I look at it anyway. When i first started – no spam.. As my site grows – SPAM!
Yes most is caught by my filter too and I had to quickly learn how to put one in.
I notice your comments don’t yet have a picture against your name. You may have decided to do this intentionally but if you’re like me and don’t know how to make a picture show up each time you leave a comment then check out my post that I did about it here… http://www.instantprofitpeople.com/2011/06/15/picture-this/
Hope to chat again soon!
Nick
Nick recently posted..Alex Jeffreys Unreported Marketing Sneak peak: If a cartoon character can make money online why can’t you? (Part 2)
You are so tight – any kind of social internet (what a name I have figured out) it is a benefit – Twitter, Facebook, Blogging but in all cases you must do it properly..and never forget that this is a communication after all!
This is right Anna,
Thanks for your input. I will however remove the comment luv link in your post as it doesn’t really add value to my visitors and is totally unrelated to this site.
Nick
Nick recently posted..How I got a mobile/cell version of my website running in under 5 minutes
I am also moderately active on twitter and tumblr, and recently started a mathematical writing blog with one of my podcast partners.