If you’re like me, you’re getting dozens of new “friend” requests on Facebook every day.
At first, I quickly friended every random request, without even thinking about it. Then, I finally started being a bit more selective about who I let in…

Now, people on Facebook usually fall into a couple of different camps… You might be a quantity person, who has thousands of friends – or you might be a more discerning quality person, who carefully considers every friend request.

I guess I fall into the “quality” category. I’m not saying that there’s a right approach or a wrong approach – that’s a personal decision. But I don’t want to be known as a Facebook Ho! I’m not looking for a Facebook one-night-stand! Hey, that’s just me. I’m not gonna let just anyone into my Facebook family!

It’s one thing if you’re a mega-marketer or an author and you look at Facebook like another potential customer list or database. But for me, Facebook is not my “list.”
I’m not spamming these people or trying to sell them anything. I’m trying to build and develop a long-term relationship!

OK, so I don’t have 1,000 Facebook Friends yet. I’m pacing myself. I’m looking at each request. I’m being a little picky. So, if you want to take my slower, build-quality relationships over time approach, here are a few tips: These are the ten criteria I use to admit new friends into my Facebook family:

1. Do I know you? Should I know you?
2. Did you include a personal message in your friend request?
3. How many friends (if any) do we have in common?
4. Who are your friends? Are they people I know or respect?
5. Have you posted a photo and a decent profile? (Most people will want to see you)
6. Do you look like a spammer in disguise? Are you blatantly promoting a product?
7. What are you looking for? If it’s “hot chicks,” I’m not sure I want to friend you.
8. Did Facebook recommend you in the “People You May Know” box?
9. Did someone introduce us? (via Facebook or otherwise)
10. Do you look like you could be a psycho or a stalker?

Set up your own criteria, or what author Michael Port calls your “Red Velvet Rope” policy, and decide who to add as a friend. You may not have the biggest friend list, but the friends you have will be the right ones for you.

Oh, and if you want to friend me, just click over to: http://profile.to/loubortone/
If you’re reading this, chances are I’ll let you in!

Lou Bortone
Writing | Creative | Branding | Video
Helping service professionals and solopreneurs craft their messages, tell their stories and market their brands.

* Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach *

lou.bortone@gmail.com
866-648-1152 toll free
603-498-9254 mobile
Skype: loubortone
www.LouBortone.com

Everyone is telling me to get over it and move on but, for me…well, I have to find a lesson in everything. Super Sunday is over and will be soon forgotten, but the only thing that can take the sting out of this football fan’s disappointment is to find a way to learn something from it.

So, like 97.5 million other people (second most watched show in US TV history), I watched in disbelief as the New York Giants stunned my 18 – 0 New England Patriots. It’s being called the biggest upset in sports history. Records were supposed to be shattered, but the only things broken on Super Sunday were the hearts of loyal Pats fans.

What can marketers learn from this historic sports lesson? How can we apply this to our businesses and our brands? What are the “weapons” the Giants used that entrepreneurs can adapt? Here’s my take-away from the game:

1. It pays to be the underdog – Fly under the radar and you may surprise everyone!
2. There’s no such thing as a sure thing – Just ask the Vegas odds-makers and sportscasters.
3. Use “shock and awe” to overwhelm your competition – The Giants put incredible pressure on Tom Brady, sacking him five times. What can you do to shake up the marketplace?
4. Use your full arsenal of weapons – One of the pillars of Guerrilla Marketing philosophy is to use a variety of marketing weapons. Look how the Giants used every element of the game – passing, rushing, defense and more – to dominate.
5. Unleash a relentless attack – The Giants kept coming back at the Pats, again and again and again. Their never surrender attitude is an example you should use in your business.
6. Take a page from the competition’s playbook – On the final, winning drive of the game, the Giants looked like, well, the New England Patriots! What can you learn from your competitors?
7. A win is a win is a win – It doesn’t have to be pretty, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Learn as you go, make adjustments, and find a way to win!

Marketers take heed! Past performance is no guarantee of future results, as they say in the stock market. You’ve got to bring your A-game every day. There’s always a way to outfox your competition, no matter how invincible they may seem.

Lou Bortone is an author and entrepreneur with extensive experience in marketing, branding and promotion. Before starting his own company, Lou was an award-winning marketing executive in the media industry. Lou served as National Promotion Manager for E! Entertainment Television, and later as Senior VP of Marketing and Advertising for Fox Family Worldwide, a division of Fox, in Los Angeles. Today, Lou helps entrepreneurs and solo professionals navigate their online businesses with services such as copywriting, video production and creative services. Visit his websites and blogs at www.LouBortone.com.

[tags]Lou Bortone, marketing, branding, Patriots, Giants, Superbowl, Super Sunday, branding[/tags]

Are you suffering from info overload?

Confused by Web 2.0? Then check out our new “Biz Booster Series” for 18 no-nonsense, practical “how-to” guides! These brief reports cover topics like Social Networking, Online Marketing and Word-of-Mouth Marketing, and they each contain dozens of useful web links and resources. Visit: www.BizBoosterSeries.com now!

Public relations can be an effective way to generate awareness and name recognition for your business. PR is also considered to be a low-cost alternative to other marketing tactics such as traditional advertising and media buying. Your PR strategy should begin with the following key elements:

1. Build your target list: Compile an accurate database of key media contacts.
2. Develop your hook: Tell a compelling story.
3. Follow up: Cultivate relationships with the media and stay in touch.

A few other tips to keep in mind:

• Look professional: Your press releases should be crisp, clean and free of errors.
• Call back promptly: Be accessible when the press comes calling.
• Once published, turn your press articles into sales tools or one-sheets.
• Don’t spam the press! Staying in touch with real news is fine; being a pest is not.
• Become a reliable and trusted source from your industry to the media.

Lou Bortone is a former television marketing executive and freelance writer. Check out his new collection of marketing and promotion “how-to” reports at http://www.BizBoosterSeries.com.

It’s a dilemma that most small businesses and startups face: You must market and advertise, but you’re strapped for cash. Fortunately, ideas, energy and imagination can make up for meager marketing budgets. Whether you’re an established company or a nascent business, the marketing formula is the same. You’ll need to start with:

1. The right message
2. To the right audience
3. At the right time

Here are a few tips from the trenches:

• In a world of spam and impersonal emails, try sending personal, hand-written notes.
• Find a related but non-competitive partner and join forces to share marketing efforts.
• Do “grassroots” marketing research by talking to your customers one-on-one.
• Join newsgroups and online discussion groups to position yourself as an expert.

Lou Bortone is a former television marketing executive and freelance writer. Check out his new collection of marketing and promotion “how-to” reports at http://www.BizBoosterSeries.com.

Generating positive press coverage should be a goal for any business. Publicity is an effective marketing tool that creates awareness and drives sales. Three key benefits of good public relations are:

1. It’s generally less expensive than advertising.
2. Since it usually comes from a third party, it’s credible.
3. It can greatly enhance your company’s reputation

A few tips to keep in mind:

• When you send a press release, make sure it’s newsworthy!
• Consider your target audience. Think like an editor or a TV news director.
• Stand out from the crowd by sending something different and creative with your release — but make sure that whatever you send is relevant.
• Create a “halo effect” by tying into local charities and community events.
• Maximize the Internet. Send e-newsletters, e-zines or start your own “expert” blog.
• Follow up with the media after you’ve sent your release. Be persistent without being a pest.

For most small businesses, all marketing is local marketing — as it should be. But even if your company is regional or national in scope, it’s a good idea to “go local” to select, targeted communities. The keys to effective community marketing can be summed up with three guidelines:

1. Get local: target your marketing efforts down to the neighborhood level
2. Get involved: participate in the community to generate visibility and good will
3. Get personal: as much as possible, market on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis

• Use local city-specific Web sites and local portals

City and town Web sites, as well as local versions of major portals, are growing in number and popularity.

• Use local search engines and directories

Make sure you’re listed with local search engines and city-specific directories.

• Set your Google ad to appear locally

If you operate a local business and advertise on Google, you can target local customers only.

Word-of-Mouth marketing may be the oldest form of advertising but, as a marketing discipline, “WOM” is a relatively new phenomenon. Viral marketing, buzz marketing, blogging, community marketing, customer evangelism and other “consumer-to-consumer” techniques all inspire people to recommend your product or service. Properly executed, WOM marketing is an incredibly effective weapon in your marketing arsenal, because the message comes from a trusted source. The key ingredients of any word-of-mouth marketing campaign are:
• Giving people a reason to talk about you.
• Making it easy for people to share information about you.
• Engaging and energizing those people to spread the good word.

Here are the five most important things you need to do to generate word of mouth:

1. It starts with customer satisfaction
A happy customer is a potential advocate and an influencer. An unhappy customer is even more powerful – one survey of “customer rage” found that 85% of unhappy customers share their experiences with others. If you don’t have a good story to tell, there’s nothing pleasant to buzz about. Measure your customer satisfaction by asking your clients whether they would recommend you. This “customer loyalty” metric can be the most important number you can track. For more information read The Ultimate Question by Fred Reichheld.

2. Give your customers a voice
Make it easy for customers to recommend your product or service. Facilitate communication. Establish user groups, fan clubs, message boards – anything that encourages positive conversation about your business. Start by adding a “tell-a-friend” component to your website with companies like Tell-a-friend Wizard or free services like bpath.com.

3. Find and equip your customer evangelists
These are the “sneezers,” or influential customers who will tell their friends about you. Think of them as your superfans. Give them inside information and reward their evangelism with recognition and support. Look for ideas and inspiration at the Viral & Buzz Marketing Association. (VBMA.net)

4. Join the blogosphere
A business blog creates a two-way dialogue with your customers and facilitates active discussion among your fans. Blogs are the perfect tool to encourage open communication and information sharing.Build your own blog in minutes with Blogger or TypePad. For more info, visit blog guru Andy Wibbel’s website.

5. Listen and respond to feedback
Your blog also provides instant feedback from your customers. Participate in the online conversation and take the pulse of your supporters – and your detractors. Use sites like FeedBurner to track and analyze your blog traffic.

Lou Bortone is an award-winning television producer who specializes in helping solopreneurs create video for the Internet. E-mail lou@theonlinevideoguy.com or visit http://www.theonlinevideoguy.com.