Some Guiding Principles for Your 2012 Goals

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At my blog, Marion Conway – Nonprofit Consultant, I have just posted my annual list of resolutions for nonprofit leaders with recommendations from seven nonprofit experts. This is the fourth year that I have prepared such a post and it is interesting to see the tone being set at the beginning of each year. This year I’d say the tone is clearly “Be the best you can be.” It is upbeat and forward looking – very encouraging. Every year I am amazed by the breadth of the wisdom offered from the philosophical to the down to earth practical. And this year, the ideas seem to have a certain punch and bounce that makes you want to connect with them.

This blog post is a companion piece to the resolutions post which has been very popular. It is not intended to be a list of goals that you can cut and paste into your 2012 objectives. Rather, it provides some guiding principles and things to think about when you are forming your specific goals for 2012. At Marion Conway-Nonprofit Consultant you can see the exact words of wisdom offered by each contributor. The nonprofit expert contributors this year are Anne Ackerson, Susan Detweiler, Jay Frost, Pamela Grow, Linda Lysakowski, Marc Pitman and Terrie Temkin. You can visit their blog or website by clicking on their name. I’ve organized the ideas into categories:

Fundraising/Development

ASK! – in capital and bold letters – often, and lots of ways – both traditional and using Social Media. Don’t be shy about asking.

Get to know and connect with your donors in a personal way in all phases from cultivation through thank yous.

Get smarter – Try new approaches – Seek out training in marketing not just fundraising

Engage the CEO and Board in all phases

Think of the donor in terms of long term value and cultivate for the long term

Mission, Operations, Evaluation, Creativity, Boards

Understand and communicate your value proposition

Take evaluation seriously

Spend more time on “play” – it develops creativity – very much needed in the nonprofit sector

Center your policy, operations and decisions on your mission.

Have the Right State of Mind – From My Own 2012 Resolutions

I, of course, added my own two cents to the list which is simply to eliminate some of the “busyness” that takes so much time, and adds so little value to my life. This busyness has been cluttering my brain and keeping me from dealing with issues in depth. In 2012 I plan to fight back the sound bite life and give the “blue chips” more “in depth” attention.

I am moving into a new more spacious office space courtesy of my adult son moving into his own apartment. (Yeah!!!) I am getting rid of stuff and getting more organized in my new space. There is a place to continue to have candles lit when I am in a pensive mood or fresh flowers when I need to wake my spirits. My husband, Hugh, did a scale floor plan with pieces for the furniture and in the big empty space in the middle he had a piece that said “Zach’s play area.” Zach is my two and a half year old grandson and he does like to visit Grandma in her office. (You can also read about my escapades as a grandmother at The Grandma Chronicles). So I am looking forward to the type of year Anne talks about with “real meat on the value bones” and I plan to take Terrie’s advice and “add more play to my work.”

I hope you have found these ideas to be food for thought as you set your own goals for 2012. Please share in the comments any additional thoughts or feedback on these ideas.

Marion

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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

“Lean, Mean, Learning Machines” – The New Age of Training

a white robot that can be used for training

Michelle Rosenbloom with the 3Leaf Group is a marketing professional. Now, what she is marketing is the Netflix(TM) of training. The wave of the future. She has been involved in creating a “lean, mean, learning machine.” But there is more to it than marketing when it comes to a savvy training professional or manager who can peruse the options and provide them to the right audience. I decided to let Michelle make her case here because this is where we will see a lot of training in the near future. I believe in the strong context between the trainer who knows most about learning and how to apply it and the products that might be sold where the seller has a sells pitch, not necessarily a training pitch. It becomes a matter of price.

Having said that, I have no intention of diminishing what Michelle says in the blog below, but as trainers, it is up to us to be aware of what is out there and the trends; it is also up to managers to make up their minds based on their bottom line. What she says about the multi-generational learners may very well be true. Check out the statistics for yourself.

Multiple Modalities for a Multi-Generational Workforce

by Michelle Rosenbloom

Question: What do current and past generations have in common in the workplace?

Answer: Not a whole lot.

Who makes up today’s multi-generational workforce?

The term “generation gap” seems to be buzzing in the workplace – especially when it comes to technology. If you are struggling to engage, train, or simply manage a cross-generational workforce, you’re not alone. As trainers, we need to hear our audience’s needs and put forth genuine effort to orchestrate training materials that speak to their learning preferences.

Who makes up today’s multi-generational workforce? Let’s take a look:

  • Millenials (Generation Y): Generally refers to individuals born between 1977-1998. This group is relatively new to the workplace, highly technical, and team oriented.
  • Generation X: Generally refers to individuals born between 1965-1976. This group is highly independent, tolerant of technology, and resilient and adaptable to change.
  • Baby Boomers: Generally refers to individuals born between 1946-1964. These individuals are motivated, hardworking, but skeptic of utilizing modern-day technology in the workplace.

How do we meet these generational needs?

On one hand, if it’s technical – it works. At least that’s the case of the Millenials, our current generation of 20-somethings who have substituted oxygen for electronic devices and personal interaction with 4-G internet speed. On the positive side, these young professionals crave engagement. And we all know engaged employees ensure productive outcomes. According to a meta-analysis study conducted by Gallup Management Journal, engaged employees generate 12% higher customer advocacy, 18% higher productivity, and 12% higher profitability. I vote for engaged employees and I’m sure you would as well.

How would you most effectively train this group in an engaging manner? Put them in front of a screen and utilize the most effective mode of training possible for these tech-savvy individuals: E-Learning. Why?Because it speaks to them; it’s engaging; it’s their language. Not to mention the number of benefits E-learning offers a young workforce including real-time collaboration, personalized learning, and around the clock access to training materials.

If you have the time and space, incorporate the training module with a face to face follow up discussion.

Note: This method is not intended as “taking the easy way out.” Just because some employees choose a technical modality for learning, doesn’t mean they are completely off the “communication” hook. If you don’t feel comfortable letting the machine do all the work, supply hard copies of the training materials. If you have the time and space, incorporate the training module with a face to face follow up discussion. At the very least, mandate a real-time collaboration discussion to make sure the session was well received.

….But what about the other half? The 40, 50, 60 year olds who still make up a majority of our country’s workforce? Are they as eager to download a 52 MB training module or video chat with the Director of Training and Development? Most likely not. In fact, according to a 2009 LexisNexis® Technology Gap Survey, a staggering 75% of Baby Boomers believe that Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs, BlackBerries, Palm Treos) mobile phones, and laptops contribute to a decline in proper workplace etiquette. For a generation that values face time (one-on-one interaction, not the Apple feature) and hard-copy materials, traditional training methods are probably most effective.

Invest in a multi-platform training solution.

So, where’s the happy medium? Looking to neutralize a multi-generational war-zone? Here’s your weapon of choice: Offer multiple modalities that cater to your employees’ preferences. Invest in a multi-platform training solution; one that ranges from books and CDs to downloadable materials and E-learning modules. Cover the gamut. Print up hard copies, assign readings, offer audio solutions. OR – join the workforce of 2012 and utilize a robust training database that offers customized downloadable materials that speak to both the trainer and trainee’s needs.

I can already hear the skeptics chirping in my ear….

What’s that?

You’re concerned about the MONEY. You’re thinking, “Congratulations, we’re a multi-generational –multi-modality lean, mean, training machine. We’re willing to offer our employees a training solution that works for THEM. But how much is going to COST ME??”

Relax.

You can ABSOLUTELY invest in a multi-platform training solution that won’t break your bank. Finding a training system that offers an array of materials is KEY. Order hard copies – order CDs, order access to an online training database — all within one training system. If you are currently using multiple modalities but paying different vendors to do so, you’re not getting the most for your money. You can get a better deal by bulking a multi-media package to include books, CDs, hardcopy materials, AND online training database materials. There are economical solutions in taking this route such as paying-per-use or enterprise pricing options, depending on your company’s size and training requirements.

And by the way, if you’re not using multiple modalities you should be. You’re missing important training opportunities or possibly utilizing obsolete training methods that are not generating effective results. That’s what I call poor ROI (return on investment) if you ask me. If you’re willing to listen to your employees’ training needs and genuinely wish to engage them (which you should be) – using multiple modalities in the only way to do so. Click Here to hear about what others are saying regarding employee engagement, specifically in the E-Learning arena.

Want your employees engaged? Speak to their (technical) needs. That’s one way to make a multi-generational workforce happy – especially when it comes to training.

For more resources about training, see the Training library.

Thanks, Michelle, for offering your point-of-view and providing us information we are not all aware of. This certainly sounds like a great resource. I have a bit of an issue with the word “engage” as you use it here because I think word takes in a more than what a person “prefers” or learns best through a particular modality. Not all find same engagement tool for the same subject, and preferences change so this in my mind would not be universal. Just a thought.

So much for me. This a forum for differences and similarities, a forum to look at the fine points and generalities. I hope we’ve covered useful territory here. Disagree or want to put a whole different slant to things, you can do so here on comments or write to me directly. My website is available for other topics as well including theatre and communication topics. Layers as we say. Guest bloggers are welcome anytime. My new eBook is totally different from the many of the topics we deal with here because I am looking to the past or at least the practical to see where we may go wrong. It’s available from major retail eBook sellers as well as from Smashwords. It’s called The Cave Man Guide To Training and Development for those who wish to re-think a bit of what we do. Topics should be training related, but if you are interested in other business-related topics, check out the link at the top of the page. Happy training.

Google Changed the Search Engine Rules

Person using a google search engine

Online fundraising happens

…when people come to your website and make a gift. While you can reach previous donors and prospects with email, the vast majority of online donors are not on your email list – yet.

While you can pay for ads to bring traffic to your website, Google and other search engines will bring the best possible traffic to your site — people who care about your issues.

That’s why up about 50% of new visitors to a non-profit website come via a search engine, and the granddaddy of all search engines is Google … with more than 60% of the traffic.

The best way to draw quality traffic to a web page has always been the “simple” way – have great content. With Google Panda, their new search engine, it’s even more true.

Google used to place more emphasis on links from other sites, especially those that get a lot of traffic. That created the “link swapping” industry, which encouraged links to lots of pages in a reciprocal strategy, designed to create links, even those that didn’t result in clicks.

Google has changed the way it measures “good content,” from one that placed more emphasis on what other sites thought about your page, to one that places more emphasis on what users think about your page.

Google’s new “Panda” search engine places value on what people do at your site, as well as how they get there. It measures:
•  Time on Site: how long visitors spend on pages they get to from Google
•  Bounce Rate: the percentage of users that leave your site without doing anything
•  Page views per visit: How much they poke around your site

It also measures how many times a page is “shared” via FaceBook and other social networks. So make sure that you make it easy for people to share your key pages with tools like “ShareThis” or “AddThis.”

Finally, it also measures what it calls “Branded Search Traffic” – the visits that result when people enter your site name or organization name in Google to get a link to your site. That implies that people are being directed to your site from offline conversations, and come to Google to find your page.

Remember that Google ranks web pages, not web sites. So find the pages that get the most “entry traffic” from search engines and review them using questions found on Google’s own blog: Google’s Guidance On Building High Quality.

What is still important?
•  Original, useful content – tell your organization’s stories
•  A meaningful page title (the headline that shows up in search results)
•  A helpful page description (the first dozen or so words that show up in a Google search)
•  Good calls to action within your popular pages. Getting people to subscribe to your
email list, donate, sign a petition, or share your content on FaceBook all reduce your
“bounce rate” and increase your Panda score. They also produce meaningful results to you.

Do your own mini search optimization audit to see how your audience will or won’t find you in search.
1.  Create a list of keyword phrases that describe your issues, e.g. “hunger Cincinnati”
or “helping left-handed Lithuanians”
2.  Enter them in Google and see where your top page on that issue scores. See who
else is ahead of you and look at their pages to find out why.
3.  Look at your web site traffic reports to see which phrases are bringing people to
your site, and what pages they’re landing on. Those are the best places to start.

More questions about search engine marketing? Send me an email!

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Rick Christ has been helping nonprofit organizations use the internet for fundraising, communications and advocacy since 2009, and has been a frequent writer on the subject. He delights in your questions and arguments. Please contact him at: RChrist@Amergent.com or at his LinkedIn Page

Can Apologies Be Funny?

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Going against convention boosts J&J’s brand reputation

Apologies are supposed to be serious. If you’re joking, then you don’t really mean it, right?

Johnson & Johnson, whose handling of the infamous 1982 Tylenol tampering murders and ensuing crisis management still stands as a “how-to” case study today, begs to differ, and did so in style with a hilarious video apologizing for shortages in a particularly popular brand of tampon.

Why’d it work? Larry Kahaner explains in this quote from a McGowan Fund blog post:

Just like the Tylenol incident which has become a standard case study in B-Schools (I included it in my own book Say It and Live It.) this event will be studied as well because it goes against the conventional wisdom that says to never use humor in a apology. The danger of the joke fall flat can be devastating to a company’s reputation and brand. This time, however, humor works perfectly. Why? For one thing, nobody died. Second, it’s personalized in a way that seems downright magical. Third, the company makes fun of the shortfall in a way that is not mean spirited but jests, ever so slightly, at the personal affection and loyalty women feel for this product. J&J has found the perfect mix of ‘we’re truly sorry,’ and ‘gee, we didn’t realize how much you cared.’ They show that they appreciate the ardor women have for the product but also make a bit of fun at how overzealous this love can be. They’re also making light of romance novel and cheesy nighttime drama stereotypes. It’s a balance that is nearly impossible to pull off, but they did.

The topper is that they offer a free coupon for the product at the video’s end. Nothing says sorry like free.

As Lara explained, the key to this working was that the apology wasn’t really needed at all. A shortage of one particular product on a flooded market isn’t a major crisis management concern, but spotting the opportunity to create positive online buzz regarding a returning product and brand in general? That’s the type of move that separates the good from the great.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Advance Your Career: Strengthen Your Company Network

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advance your career strengthen company netowrk”I’m known as a steady worker but don’t get the choice projects. I know I need to get out there more but I’ve always been shy and don’t want to toot my own horn. What can I do?”

This was asked of me by a financial analyst during a career management workshop. Actually, there was a lot she could do. Let’s first tackle the networking issue. A strong and vibrant network requires an investment of time and effort, but the process does not have to be overwhelming. Here are four strategies.

1. Learn from others.
Who networks well in your organization or in your community? What exactly do they do, and what do they say? Ask them about their view of networking and how they build and use relationships? Try similar tactics or approaches.

2. Work with others.
Volunteer for assignments or projects that give you an opportunity to work across functions. One of the best ways to build connections is to work together on something. A fringe benefit is the visibility you will gain with people outside your department. Whatever it is – a presentation to senior management, giving a plant tour, working on a cross-functional team – raise your hand and take that step forward.

3. Be an information hub.
Make a list of your information assets. What do you know? What information does your group hold? How might this information be useful to others? Make a plan to get the word out – not as gossip but rather as help to others.

4. Bring others into your world.
One week you may ask a teammate after a meeting for an opinion on a problem that was discussed. The next, you could invite a peer to lunch. Or ask someone from IT to give a short presentation on the new system at your next staff meeting. Keep up the once-a-week practice and soon it will be routine.

Career Success Tip:

Network in all areas and levels of your company. You never know who may be in a position to help you or refer you. Many tend to think it’s best to make friends at the top. However, to be effective and actually make it to the top, you’ll need the support of colleagues at other levels as well. Also see Don’t Settle for One Network, Build Three and Power Networking: How Well Do You Do It.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

How Not to Motivate Your Best And Brightest

Recognition-Getting-People-To-Give-Their-Very-Best

Are you seeing a decrease of employee motivation and morale, especially with your top performers?

Don’t look for causes and solutions out there. Instead, chances are you’ll find critical employee issues are actually resulting from a host of internal management practices. Here are five “demotivators” – sure ways to dampen the enthusiasm of your best and brightest.

1. Overloading them with responsibility.
A study recently released by the American Management Association found that 76% of professionals surveyed said they had more responsibility than a year ago, while 65% said their workload has increased. But more responsibility doesn’t necessarily translate to greater job satisfaction of top performers. Rather, it can be viewed as being “dumped upon” and that can lead to a decrease in their motivation and performance.

2. Micromanaging their efforts and their time.
Once given the scope of their assignment or project, top performers expect that you’ll have trust in their ability to move forward without constantly looking over their shoulders. An important part of managing others, especially if they are highly competent, is to let go.

3. Creating confusion about roles and responsibilities.
The best and the brightest want to attack assignments with vigor and decisiveness. They want to know things like what resources and decision making authority they have. If it’s unclear it can lead to conflict with others over who does what with what people and when it needs to get done.

4. Focusing on the bureaucracy not the results.
There’s nothing more frustrating, when you clearly see the big picture, than to have someone insist that every decision must be pre-approved in triplicate. In too many workplaces, the myth of empowerment is one of the greater fantasies. Loosen up the bureaucracy and grant freedom to those who earn it.

5. Constantly changing goals and objectives.
Top performers are definitely goal driven on both a personal and business level. Each goal accomplished at work is another message that life is good, that work is satisfying. Take that away, by constantly changing, rearranging or eliminating previously stated objectives, and you will frustrate the goal-driven employee.

Management Success Tip:

Eliminate these “demotivators” before you start planning so-called “motivational” perks. Free coffee and donuts are pleasant, but they’re like bubble gum in a major league baseball dugout. Players appreciate the taste but it has nothing to do with motivating them to hit an inside fastball thrown at 98 miles an hour. The hit is the result of their hard work, focus and wanting to succeed. Also see Motivate Your Best People and Not Break the Bank and What Makes a Great Boss.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Mission 2012 – Shifting from Fear to Love

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Your mission this year, should you choose to accept it, is to shift from fear to love.

Fear raises its head all day long- ‘I can’t finish this by then’, ‘how can they ask me to do that?’, ‘she doesn’t listen to me’, ‘ he doesn’t respect my work’, ‘they’ll never give us what we need’, ‘I’ll never be able to please them, ‘I’ll never be able to afford that’…..

Sound familiar? OK, now how does love sound? ‘Sure, I can get that for you’, ‘Praise Be, I have what I need’, ‘ I can’t wait to see how this turns out!’, ‘I’m glad to help you with that’….. Allow grace to enter and fill your life.

How would your day flow if every time you had thoughts of lack or worry, you KNEW you were supported, guided, strong enough, smart enough, had all that you needed to meet your life challenges?

What helps you shift thoughts of lack or fear to ones of love, acceptance, joy, thanksgiving, praise?

Thank God/Spirit/Allah/Divine Wisdom in advance that you have enough, are enough, know enough, give enough. Affirm that this is true when you encounter fear. This is the paradigm shift for a new era. This is our mission for responding and working with love and grace in 2012.

New Ways of Responding

If you fear the unknown, uncertainty, fear what lies ahead in your future, share your gifts with others lovingly and joyfully. Actively cultivate a caring network of friends and colleagues by offering assistance, information, resources they may need to support their work. Focusing on ways to share your gifts helps you shift your focus from fear to support.

If you fear change, know that marvelous transformation awaits you. Embrace the wonderful opportunities presented to be more fully awakened, alive, passionate, living on purpose. Transformation is the theme of this year. As you raise your vibrational energies, you respond to your world in more caring, compassionate, inspired ways. As you move through your fears, you model for others how to live courageously, authentically, whole.

If you fear losing someone dear, know that you can never be separated from God or the God of your being. You are the one you’ve been waiting for. Welcome your sweet loving presence home in your heart. Rejoice in your loving presence.

When you are worried about finances, give freely and joyfully to a good cause. Give with an open heart. Practice giving with love and care and build your giving muscles. Focusing on what you share takes your mind off what you may lack. Such giving clears your emotional hose- allowing for more abundance and positive energy to flow through you. As you give, so shall you receive.

Drinking the Sweet Water of Life

If your life is a glass of pure water, infused with Spirit-filled energy, do you see it as half empty or half full? Do you let the water retain its purity or will you add sludge to it from your worries, fears, doubts, concerns? Sip joyfully the refreshing elixir of life. Let it sustain you, renew you, and replenish your soul.

Aaahhh, doesn’t life taste sweet!

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda has a new Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson “like” this page if you want to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

Now available- 10th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”. For FREE download of the Intro and Chapter 1, go to: http://www.lindajferguson.com/path-for-greatness/


Practice of Asking Open and Honest Questions (Part 2 of 2)

(This information is based on the work of Parker Palmer, John Morefield, and Marcy Jackson, and inspired by the work of Parker J. Palmer and Center for Courage & Renewal . The information was written by Susan Kaplan, M.S.W. )

(Part 1 described the value of open and honest questions.)

Framing Open & Honest Questions

1. The best single mark of an open, honest question is that the questioner could not possibly anticipate the answer to it.
What surprises you? What moves or touches you about this? What inspires you? What was easy? What was hard?

 

2. Ask questions that aim at helping the person rather than satisfying your curiosity. Ask questions directed to the person as well as to the problem – about feelings as well as facts.
Have you ever had an experience that felt like your current dilemma? Did you learn anything from that prior experience that feels useful to you now? How do you feel about
the experience you just described?

 

3. Stay with the person’s language – use words the person is using not what you think they might or should be feeling.
You said this was an impossible situation – could you say more about what this means to you? What do you mean when you said you felt frustrated? as
opposed to Don’t you ever feel angry?

 

4. Formulate questions that are brief and to the point rather than larding them with background considerations and rationale.
What were your expectations or hopes?

5. Trust your own intuition, even if your instincts seem off the wall. Listen deeply to the story and allow questions to come from your heart rather than your head.

6. Avoid long storytelling or speech making that may draw attention to yourself.

7. Consider waiting to ask a question if you’re not sure what type of question it is. If it keeps coming back to you, see if you can re-frame it into an open ended question.

8. The best questions are simple.
How does this work for you? What questions do you have?
What is the hardest aspect of this situation? What is the easiest aspect of this situation?

9. Avoid questions with right/wrong answers.
Consider re-framing Don’t you think it would be helpful to talk to her? to What has been most helpful? Least helpful?

10. Use images or metaphors that the person might relate to so as to open things up in ways that more direct questions do not.
If you were writing a book about this experience, how would you name this chapter?
If you were using a roadmap to navigate this issue, what would be on your map – the rest stops, the destinations, the detours?

 

11. Know when to use open & honest questions. These questions are not appropriate for all situations. There is a time to give information, to make a decision and to share your own opinion and experience.

For many related, free online resources, see the following Free Management Library’s topics:

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, and Strategic Planning.

Google Plus Pages

Google signage on the roof of a building

Now Businesses Can Share with Circles, Too!

Google Plus Pages, the online rival to Facebook, has created a guide that will walk you through how to set up your Business Page, get started, share, promote and measure.

Let’s take a quick look at what they say about the three functions that benefit your business:

SHARE

Google Plus Pages allows you to drill down deeper – because not all your customers or fans are interested in all the same things. Some want to know about your latest promotions, while others simply don’t want to be bothered, right? They may want the latest news, or ask questions about products. You can even conduct live video chat to really connect. By creating a multitude of Circles, you can get very specific about what you share in each circle, and hit the mark with high levels of interest. Use your Stream to post great info – and make it public so it can be found in search.

PROMOTE

You have a lot of options for promoting your Google Plus Page:

– promote it yourself with Google+ Direct Connect and the Google+ badge

– help others recommend you with the +1 button

People search on Google billions of times a day, and very often, they’re looking for businesses and brands. Google+ Pages can help users transform their queries into meaningful connections. A new feature called Direct Connect makes it easy — even automatic — for people to connect with you.

Let people know you’re here by connecting your company website to your Google+ Page by adding the Google+ badge to your site. Whenever someone who likes your site clicks the icon, they will be taken to your Google+ page where they can add your page to their circles, and be able to follow your posts from then on.

A recommendation is good; a recommendation from a friend is even better. +1 annotations in Google search help surface these recommendations right when people need them most — when they’re searching for exactly that information.

MEASURE

How do +1’s affect user behavior? Google Analytics suite of social reports make it easy to find out. Analytics measures +1’s and how engagement on your site changes when personalized recommendations help your content stand out. Also see aggregate, anonymized demographic information about the Google users who have +1’d your site.

Google Plus Page Reviews

Reviewers are wild about this new tool, anticipating that Google Plus will BEAT Facebook AND Twitter!

According to Caleb Garling, on influential Wired.com, “At this point, Google+ Pages are where businesses interact with web denizens on the cutting edge of net technology, and Facebook is where you interact with everyone else… Google integrates Plus into its web-dominating search engine. With Google+ Direct Connect, searchers can insert a “+” before their query and jump directly to a business’s Google+ page. Type “+YouTube” into a Google search box, for instance, and Google will take you straight to YouTube’s Plus page.

“This is where Google will have an advantage over Facebook: With a broad array of services like search and Gmail and Chrome and Android, Google offers tools that are fundamental to the online lives of so many people — and these can be tied to Google+. As Google+ evolves, Google will have the means to promote its social network — and the branded Pages within it — in ways that Facebook or Twitter cannot.”

This should be fun to watch! What’s YOUR prediction?

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book has a name change! The Net-Powered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide will be available very soon. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com