Posted on Thursday, December 31, 2015

How to Get More Great Reviews … And Fewer Bad Ones!

For most service businesses today – restaurants, hotels, professional services – online reviews are more important than ever. In fact, I think that online reviews are the lifeblood of your business. Online reviews are important for product sales, also. However, this article will focus on service businesses, not products.

If you have a lot of good ones, your business is likely pretty healthy. If you don’t, I’m betting your business is feeling a lot of pain – the kind of pain that lack of new customers brings. Ouch!

Personally, I use online review sites frequently to make decisions. On a recent “around the world” trip, I used them to select hotels and restaurants. The difference between having an “excellent” versus and “outstanding” review on TripAdvisor was often the tiebreaker in my decisions.

And, as I have only lived in my current home city of Orlando for a few years, I still need to find new service professionals – doctors, attorneys, dentists, and such. I have found the online reviews to be most helpful.

Do you really know the process that a new customer goes through to get to you these days? Even the strongest referrals are often accompanied by an extensive Google search. For many businesses, the online review sites – HealthGrades, DocZoc, TripAdvisor, Yelp – show prominently in the search results – sometimes even before the actual business website.

If your business has several bad reviews, it is likely to be passed over for another business that doesn’t have bad reviews – or, that has several good reviews to counter the bad ones. Most people will overlook a few bad reviews if there are a lot of good ones to counter the complaints.

In fact, a recent article posted in the Harvard Business Review asserts: “many companies need to dramatically shift their marketing strategies to account for the rising power exerted on future customers by the opinions of existing customers.”

Over the years, my agency has helped clients with digital marketing, website development, social media marketing, SEO, and other forms of marketing. I believe that online reviews are the most important factor in a buyer’s decision making process today.

So, how do you get more great reviews and fewer bad ones? Now, THAT is the million dollar question.

Here are some proactive strategies that are working well today.

1. Make it easy for customers to complain by putting comment cards inside your establishment. Include a drop box where the cards can be dropped. And, turn it into a post card with prepaid postage so that it can be mailed. Adding the opportunity for anonymity makes it safe for a customer to voice concerns.

2. Put a “How are we doing?” input area on your website where people can submit anonymous comments. Don’t require an email or name, make it optional. Some people just like to vent. Better for them to do it on your site than a public review site or social media.

3. Collect emails so that you can send email followup messages requesting feedback. If you have a restaurant, put a “signup for goodies” card on the table or in the check holder. If you have a store, place a signup list at the checkout area or place a card inside their bags. Another great way to get emails and feedback is to post a link for a survey on the cash register. Businesses can increase participation by entering respondents names into a drawing for something valuable.

4. Collect phone numbers so that you can call people for feedback and encourage people with good feedback to please post on review sites.

5. Based on the feedback, follow up appropriately. If the feedback was good, provide links that would make it easy for them to share their comments with review sites. If the feedback was not good, provide a way for them to share more via an online form or a phone call.

People want to be heard. The more that you can provide them a way to share their frustrations and remedy the problems, the less likely they are to slam you on review sites.

Even if things went very wrong, how the problem is handled can make all the difference. In fact, customers who complain can become very loyal customers – if the problem is handled well.

Getting good reviews can be expensive in terms of the amount of labor and effort required. Some aspects of getting reviews can be automated so that it minimizes staff effort.

If you’d like to know more about how to get more good reviews and fewer bad reviews, visit www.GetMoreGreatReviews.com to view a quick video.

Gina Carr works with business leaders who want to get more great reviews and fewer bad ones. She has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Gina enjoys traveling the globe to share the latest business growth strategies with business owners and managers. She can be reached at gina@ginacarr.com or 1-678-653-0115. Schedule a free strategy session today to learn easy ways for you to get more great reviews … and, more great customers! ww.ginacarr.com/strategy-session

Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

How to Handle a Negative Review with Marilyn Suttle, Customer Service Expert – BLAB

What do you do when you get a bad online review? That’s what customer service expert Marilyn Suttle and I will be discussing tomorrow on Tribe Building Today. Hope you can join us. It’s free! Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/tbtmarilynsuttle

Here are some of the questions we will be answering:

– How damaging are negative online reviews?

– Who writes negative reviews? And what’s their real motivation?

– What are the best ways to handle negative reviews

– What are the common mistakes in handling them?

– What systems can you put in place to prevent emotional reactions from clouding your judgment?

About Marilyn Suttle…

Marilyn Suttle specializes in creating “Suttle Shifts” in the way people think and act, so they can produce massive results. A leading authority in service excellence, business and personal relationships, and content marketing for women-focused online communities, she’s been sourced as an expert by Ladies Home Journal, Corp Magazine, Inc. Magazine, LA Times. And the Chicago Tribune & network-affiliated news programs have featured her advice on communication and leadership.

After working with Marilyn, her clients have won industry awards, raised customer satisfaction levels and gotten lasting results in reducing stress and experiencing greater success and self-fulfillment.

Company leaders have made her presentations available to thousands of employees, improving their quality of life and passion to excel in their professions.

Marilyn presents keynotes and trainings, as well as coaches and consults with professionals at Fortune 500 companies, universities, medical, mid-sized companies. She also works directly with entrepreneurs. Her extensive experience with online community management, and social media helps brands engage deeply with their target market.

Marilyn hosts the Woman-to-Woman podcast series on iTunes, sponsored Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and personal growth gurus like Jack Canfield, founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, have invited her to speak on their stages.

Marilyn’s bestselling book, “Who’s Your Gladys?” – co-authored with Lori Jo Vest – was published by AMACOM, NY in 2009 and is now available in paperback and as an e-book. Suttle and Vest also created the online course Customer Service Roadmap to allow their training to be more efficiently conducted by companies throughout the world.

Hosted by Gina Carr…

Gina Carr is a sought after speaker and business growth consultant who works with business leaders who want to grow their business by getting more great reviews, and fewer bad ones. Gina hasan MBA from the Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from Georgia Tech. She is known as “The Tribe Builder” because she helps passionate people build powerful tribes of raving fans.

She is the co-author of Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence & Raise Your Klout Score for Success. Gina was again named one of the “Top 50 Over 50” Marketing Thought Leaders by Brand Quarterly (2014 & 2015) and Who’s Who Among Women in Ecommerce by WE Magazine (2014).
Join Gina and Marilyn on March 9 at 3:30 pm ET US by subscribing to the Blab at

http://bit.ly/tbtmarilynsuttle

Posted on Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas Eve at the Emergency Vet

Scooter and Gina, circa 1998. They were inseparable. An “All American Brown Dog,” Scooter was the catalyst for Gina’s animal activism.

’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring – there was a lot to do before Christmas morning!

It was an unusual Christmas back in 2000. Although my parents lived only a couple of miles from me in northwest Atlanta, my family had moved in with them — temporarily.   Why? Because our house had caught fire a few days before. Although the sprinklers came on and saved the house from being engulfed with flames, there was significant smoke damage and we couldn’t stay there. But, that is a story for another day… This one is about a special Christmas Eve at mom and dad’s.

So, my mom, my seven year old son, and I were in the kitchen, getting things ready for Christmas Eve dinner. My mom has always gone “all out” for Christmas. She decorates every inch of her home with festive Christmas cheer. This year was no exception.

We all stepped outside for just a few seconds to turn on the Christmas lights and marvel at how beautiful everything looked.

Walking back into the kitchen, we were shocked to see an empty platter on the floor and my precious pooch — ten year old, fifty-five pound Scooter — looking very guilty with wing sauce all over his face.

Seems that as soon as we stepped outside, Scooter helped himself to the my mom’s two dozen, hot-out-of-the-oven chicken wings that we had just placed on the stovetop – complete with my mom’s incredibly delicious wing sauce and…

BONES!

Two dozen chicken wings with tiny, prickly bones inside my Scooter?!

That can’t be a good thing, thought I!

Instead of visions of sugar canes, I had visions of punctured organs from the splintered chicken wings passing through my baby’s belly!

So, off to the Emergency Vet we went.

Fortunately, the EV was not far away.

We weren’t the only ones there that Christmas Eve. There were a lot of tears and nervous family members in that ER. Many patients had far more life-threatening accidents than Scooter’s.

It certainly made me grateful for the skilled doctors and staff that were there to help with our precious furry, scaly, and feathered friends – even on Christmas Eve.

After a bunch of X-rays and several hundred dollars (worth every penny!), the vet sent us home with instructions to keep an eye on him. They didn’t have to cut him open to extract the wings as I had feared they might need to do.

Seems the good doctor thought Scooter’s digestive system might be able to process all those wings without serious injury.

Now days, I probably could have found that out on Google!

After a few hours, we finally got back home and had a delayed Christmas Eve dinner sans chicken wings — relieved that Scooter was likely going to be okay.

And, that is why my family still calls chicken wings “Scooter wings,” to this day.

Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2015

How Authors, Consultants, and Information Marketers Can Add Bitcoin as a Payment Option

Have you jumped into the world of crypto currency yet? This evolution in the way money changes hands is the biggest innovation since banks were invented back in Florence in the 1400’s.

In the same way that the internet has changed the way we do everything, crypto currencies are going to totally change the way the world works.

If you’d like to be ahead of the curve, a simple thing that you as a business owner can do is to add a Bitcoin payment button to your online payment options for products and services. I think this is particularly important for authors, consultants, and online product creators to add to their payment options.

Adding a Bitcoin payment option is not just a technically savvy thing to do, it can also give you a competitive advantage. Much like the acceptance of credit cards for payment in the US back in the 1960’s, people who prefer to transact using Bitcoins will be delighted to learn that you accept this digital currency.

“#Bitcoin can be a competitive advantage for authors & online marketers.” ~ @GinaCarr #BookMarketing

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A few weeks ago, I added a Bitcoin payment option to one of the services I provide: my Digital Marketing Audit. (This is where I evaluate what a business owner is doing with marketing.)

As you can see, I placed the “Pay With Bitcoin” button right under the normal “Buy Now” button that allows people to pay via traditional means – Paypal or credit cards.

It was very easy to set up using my Bitcoin wallet Coinbase. To use Bitcoin, you need to have a digital “wallet.” This is how you exchange Bitcoin with others. (If you’d like to set up a free Coinbase account, you might want to use my affiliate link. I’ll get a couple of coins for telling you about it.)

When a person clicks the “Pay With Bitcoin” option, they are asked for their email address and then they see a screen like this that prompts them to use the QR code reader on their smart phone.

After scanning the QR code, the smart phone asks if you indeed want to send a certain amount of Bitcoin to the address that pops up in their phone. This corresponds to my Bitcoin wallet address that is ready to receive payments.

After clicking SEND, the Bitcoin goes through a validation process that is much faster and more efficient than the current system of paying via credit cards.

To set up this BItcion button, I simply selected the MERCHANT > TOOLS option inside my Coinbase account. Most of this is very straightforward – what type of button do you want, what is your item called, etc.

The only “tricky” part is that you must determine how much you want to charge in Bitcoin based on today’s Bitcoin to US Dollar rate of exchange. In my example, I charge $1500 USD for my Marketing Audit. Since the value of Bitcoin was $265.39 when I was setting up this button, I selected 5.652 BTC as my payment amount.

This will adjust automatically depending on the value of Bitcoin versus the US Dollar when the purchase is made.

After completing the fields, click the “Generate Button Code” and paste the code into your web page. It’s simple!

Note: In late September 2014, Paypal added Bitcoin to it’s payment options. I have not yet tried this. However, I will try it soon and report back. You will still need a Bitcoin wallet like Coinbase to use this option via Paypal.

Are you using crypto currency in your business? I’d love to know how and why. Please post in the comments below. Thanks!

In related news….

An exciting new book about crypto currencies just came out today. It is written by Wall Street Journal finance reporters Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey. I think you will like it. (Affiliate link to Amazon.)

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And, if you’d like help with marketing your book or business, book a free strategy session with me today!

Notice: This post contains affiliate links for products and services I think my readers need to know about. If a purchase is made through an affiliate link, Gina Carr may be compensated.

Posted on Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Gina Carr named to Brand Quarterly’s “50 over 50 Marketing Thought Leaders” List 2014

Honored to have been named to Brand Quarterly’s “50 over 50 Marketing Thought Leaders” List 2014.

These are the questions they asked, along with my responses:

BQ: What is the biggest change you see occurring in the marketing industry over the next 5 years?

GC: “I think the biggest change will be how to get the attention of customers in a world where people are constantly bombarded with too much information.”

BQ: What is your top piece of advice for management/marketing professionals to make their social media presence as engaging as possible?

GC: “Choosing the right channels, engagement strategies, and offers will be critical for success.”

Click here to read all about it and meet the other 49!

Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2014

It’s all about you. Really.

This isn’t about me. It’s about YOU.

It starts with YOU. It ends with YOU.

Intrigued yet?

Branding expert and leading authority on the science of fascination, Sally Hogshead, just launched her new book How the World Sees You on July 1.

It immediately soared to Number 1 on the Wall Street Journal’s AND #2 on the New York Times’ Best Seller lists. Wow!

I’m honored to have worked with her earlier this year in preparation for the launch.

To celebrate all of the new insights she’s learned over the past decade of research, she has started Project Fascination, with a goal to show 100,000 people how their personalities add value.

To do this, she’s given me a special code BL-ginacarr to give the first 100 people who use it to take her Fascination Advantage® assessment for free!

This has never been done before, and will only last until July 25!

And the best part is – they want this to be a chain reaction. So when you take the assessment using BL-ginacarr, you’ll receive 100 assessments to share with your circle for free too!

That’s $3700 of free market research at your fingertips!

So how do you take the assessment? Simple.

Go to www.bit.ly/htwsyou and use code BL-ginacarr.

Once you’ve taken the assessment, Sally’s team will load 100 assessments into your new account. Rinse and repeat.

That’s it.

Now you’re ready to discover how your personality is custom built for certain situations, and which situations you should learn to avoid. And it only takes 5 minutes (you can even do it on your phone).

28 questions. 5 minutes. A whole new way to communicate.

Remember, the best way to empower someone is to show them their own highest value. Sally’s goal together is to show people the very best of themselves – the qualities that makes them more successful, more authentic, and more fascinating.

Remember that your code will expire July 25. Don’t let this $3700 value go to waste. Take the assessment today and encourage your friends and followers to do the same to do the same.

Your Fascination Advantage Report is the first big step into knowing how your personality can be heard and remembered in an overcrowded market. And sharing the assessment will help others do the same.

Find everything you need to put this knowledge into practice with your co-workers, close friends and significant other in Sally’s new book, How the World Sees You.

In case you are wondering, my Fascination Archetype is “The Maestro” combining my Fascination Advantages of Passion and Power. My distinct value is my ability to deliver “Ambitious Ideas.” This is known as my Fascination Anthem.

Here’s the link to the Assessment: http://bit.ly/htwsyou
Here’s my code: BL-ginacarr

It’s only good until July 25.

Be sure to post your results in the comments below. I’d love to know what your Advantages and Anthems are.

And, be sure to check out Sally’s book. You will love it, too!

Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Gina Carr featured on #SparkleSOS Book Authors & Publishers show

Honored to be featured recently on Debbie Horovitch’s #SparkleSOS Book Authors and Publishers show.

Great discussions on:
– Sales – panelist Jane Garee of www.JaneGaree.com
– Marketing – panelist Sandi Coryell of www.thecoryellgroup.com
– Celebrity Hangouts and more – host Debbie Horovitch of http://thesparkleagency.com
– Book Writing, Marketing, and Klout – me! (www.GinaCarr.com)

To learn more about Debbie’s new membership program, check out:
http://thesparkleagency.com/sparklesos/join-us/

To learn more about the book writing program I mentioned, go to:
http://bit.ly/NYbookretreat (my affiliate link)

Posted on Wednesday, June 4, 2014

New Facebook Page Layout – RIP PTAT!

Facebook has rolled out a new look for Pages. I love the changes. It is more streamlined and a better experience for viewers and admins. Most, of all, I love that they removed a major irritation (see point 5). Here are my favorite changes:

1. Page Name Change. Most noticeable is the change in the placement and color of the Page name. Instead of being below the cover photo and black, it is now INSIDE the cover photo and white. This is going to necessitate new cover images for many as the white letters need to be on a dark background in order to show.

The title has been moved in the new Facebook Layout. www.facebook.com/ginacarr

2. Single Column Timeline. Posts are all in a SINGLE column on the right side. This is SO much better than the two column format that was confusing. The width has changed from 403 pixels to 511 pixels wide. This allows much wider, nicer custom images.

Dianna Booher’s Page shows the right hand column for posts. www.facebook.com/DiannaBooher

3. Page Administrators Panel removed. For Page Administrators, the administrative data has been reduced significantly and moved to be around the Cover image. This is a much better experience for the user.

Check out Terry Brock’s page at www.facebook.com/SpeakerTerryBrock.

4. Description and Tabs removed. Facebook has removed the description and “tab” features. These “blocks” have been turned into menu-like tabs that are much more similar to a regular website. You can change two of the tabs by selecting the apps that you want displayed. I never liked the custom tabs and I am glad to see them go!

5. People Talking About This – PTAT – has been removed. Hallelujah! This is my favorite thing about the new Page layout. Since Facebook makes it so hard to get traffic to Pages, they were adding insult to injury by broadcasting to the world how many people were actually interacting with the page.

This eSpeakers Page still has the old layout. www.fb.com/espeakers

I believe it is better for those numbers to be private for Page Administrators only. Perhaps I will start marketing my Page a bit more now that this number is no longer visible to the world.

“The new Facebook Page layout is great for marketers.” ~ @GinaCarr #newfacebookpage

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There are many more changes to the computer version and the mobile layouts. These are a few of my favorites. What do you like or not like about the new Facebook Page look?

Note: As of this writing, some Pages do not have the new look. All Pages will have the new design as of mid-June 2014.

How to Name Your Facebook Page – 5 Keys to Getting Found

Facebook for Business: Get a Vanity User Name for Your Facebook Page or Personal Profile

Posted on Tuesday, February 18, 2014

New Klout and Potential Klout Acquisition by Lithium

There is big news on two fronts in the world of Klout. One is what many are calling “New Klout” aka #NewKlout. This is a whole new interface at Klout.com for Creating, Scheduling, and Measuring how you are doing in social media.

The other is an announcement by several sources, though not confirmed by Klout with all the details yet, that Lithium Technologies will be purchasing Klout for over $100 million.

Terry Brock and I wrote the book on Klout, literally. McGraw-Hill published our book Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Build Your Digital Influence— and Raise Your Klout Score For Success! last year and we have some opinions on both these topics. So, we put together detailed video for you explaining what New Klout is all about. We also gave our opinion on the proposed acquisition.

This can help you in your work with social media. It can also help with you connecting with others in your community.

Check out this video and let us know what you think. I look forward to getting your thoughts and ideas!

Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Join us for the first ever Klout-A-Thon! Featuring Mari Smith, Joel Comm, Kim Garst and many more social superstars!

Join us for the First Ever
Klout-A-Thon!

Featuring Social Media Experts
Mari Smith, Joel Comm, Kim Garst,
Viveka von Rosen and others!

November 22, 12 – 3 pm ET

What is working in social media? What is not? What does it mean to be influential today in our always on, always connected world?

Join today’s top influencers for the first ever Klout-a-Thon which will feature 8 social media and marketing gurus who will share their insights, secrets, and tips.

Our guests will include Mari Smith, Joel Comm, Kim Garst, Viveka von Rosen, Jeff Korhan, and Alan Stevens – all amazing social media stars who will share their brilliance with you!

Can’t make the live event? That’s okay. It will be recorded. You can get the links to the recording by registering for the event.

And, we will be raising money for Green Pets America, a rescue organization that has been saving dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens for years.

Thanks,

Gina Carr and Terry Brock
Your Hosts
Klout-A-Thon

November 22, 12 – 3 pm ET

Presenters

Mari Smith

Mari Smith is hailed as the premier Facebook marketing expert and one of the most influential and knowledgeable new media thought leaders in the world. A passionate believer in the power of social business, Mari is a top online marketing expert with her innovative strategies that accelerate profits through the use of social media. Dubbed by Fast Company as “the pied piper of the online world,” Mari Smith’s international social media consultancy and training agency works with organizations and entrepreneurs around the globe. Mari is also author of The New Relationship Marketing and coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day.

Joel Comm

Joel Comm is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, public speaker, social media evangelist, and mobile marketing innovator. The leading authority on new media marketing tactics, Joel’s current specialty is using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help companies market their brand. He has also created top-ranked mobile apps, including the most talked about iPhone app of all time. Not just another social media expert, Joel has been building profitable and cutting-edge Internet ventures since 1995.

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is a serial entrepreneur who has built several hugely successful online businesses. Kim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Boom! Social, a corporate branding and social media consulting firm that services over 32,000 subscribers and 100+ clients. She was recently named by Forbes as one of the Top 50 Social Media Influencers in 2012 and 2013. She was also named Forbes Top 20 Social Media Woman Influencer in 2013. Her impressive track record and talent for teaching has just earned her a coveted spot on the Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Social Media Blogs of 2013.

Viveka von Rosen

Viveka von Rosen, otherwise known the LinkedIn Expert, is the author of”LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day” by John Wiley and Sons Publishing House, author of the popular LinkedIn blog; LinkedintoBusiness.com, creator of the popular #LinkedInChat on Twitter and co-moderator of LinkedStrategies (the largest LinkedIn Strategies group on LinkedIn. She has been named by Social Media Today as one of the Top 10 Women Who Rock Social Media and by Forbes as a Top Twenty Most Influential Women in Social Media and Top Fifty Most Influential People in Social Media.

Jeff Korhan

Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business (Wiley 2013), a social media for business bestseller. Korhan is a former Fortune 50 Sales and Marketing Executive and two-time Small Business of the Year owner.

As a marketing speaker, trainer and coach, he helps mainstream businesses adapt their traditional growth practices to a digital world. Jeff is a syndicated publisher and regular content contributor to leading business publications. His own New Media and Small Business Marketing site ranks among the Top 100 Small Business blogs in the world.

Alan Stevens

Alan Stevens is an expert on building and protecting your reputation. He is also an international speaker, author, MC and media commentator. His clients include high-profile individuals and companies such as Virgin, BP, The Dorchester, Sony Ericsson, BMW and Mumm Champagne. He has made over 2000 radio and TV appearances and been quoted extensively in newspapers around the world.

His latest book, “The Exceptional Speaker”, co-authored with Paul du Toit, is about how to deliver sensational speeches. He is Past President of the Global Speakers Federation. Alan was listed in the Independent newspaper as one of “The Top Ten Media Experts in the UK.”

Your hosts, co-authors of the best selling Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence, and Raise Your Klout Score for Success, a McGraw-Hill publication.

Gina Carr

Gina Carr is an Author, Speaker and Marketing Consultant who works with business leaders to leverage social media for more profits, influence, and success. Gina has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an engineering degree from the Georgia Tech. Gina is known as “The Tribe Builder” because she helps passionate people build powerful tribes of raving fans. As the Dean of the Social Buzz University, Gina hosts world-class business trainers every week at SocialBuzzTraining.com.

Terry Brock

Terry Brock is a globally connected leading authority who works with organizations that want to leverage technology and deploy social media tools for more customer engagement, productivity, and increased profitability. Terry is the former chief enterprise blogger for Skype and former editor-in-chief for AT&T’s Networking Exchange blog (over 100 authors). He is a Hall-of-Fame Keynote Speaker known for presenting in a fun, engaging style that delights audiences as they learn practical ways to implement social media principles like Klout with Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and other Networks.

Beneficiary

A percentage of the sales of all books on November 22 will go to Green Pets America. GPA has been working to end the euthanasia of adoptable dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens for many years. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GPA re-homes shelter pets, educates the public on issues of animal welfare, teaches owners how to care for and train their pets, and creates community celebration events to bring pets and pet lovers together.

Build Credibility, Get More Business, and Increase Profits with DIGITAL INFLUENCE

Strong influence translates to more business–and nothing measures influence like Klout, which has scored more than 100 million people and companies. A high Klout score has become one of the most important business assets today. It can mean the difference between business success and failure. It can affect your job prospects, how your customer service complaints are handled, and whether you’re recognized as an expert in your industry.

In Klout Matters, two of today’s top social media gurus show you how to raise your Klout score and use it to your advantage. Klout Matters offers simple strategies you can begin using right away. It provides step-by-step guidance that will help you rise above the online noise to stand out, build trust, and grow your business.

“Terry Brock and Gina Carr show you how to engage with customers in this fast-paced, ever-changing field. Use their proven principles to make your Klout score rise to the top.” — Harvey Mackay, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive

“Everyone wants more impact, influence, and recognition. Buy this book and implement the ideas and strategies, so that you go from Klout to significance.” — Jeffrey Gitomer, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Red Book of Selling and 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling

Posted on Saturday, June 8, 2013

Is Klout a Threat to Democracy?

Klout expert Gina Carr helps businesses and individuals understand Klout.

Are you a Klout fan?

A recent article by Lauren Fisher, the founder of digital marketing agency Simply Zesty, caught my attention. Since I am a big fan of the social scoring company Klout, I was intrigued by the title: “Klout & The Threat To Democracy.”

This article was written in response to a recent promotion by American Airlines in which the carrier partnered with Klout to provide a special one day VIP pass to its network of premium lounges all around the world. This “Klout Perk” was offered to individuals with Klout Scores over 55.

Though well written and insightful, I think that two of Ms. Fisher’s fundamental premises are flawed. In her article, she suggests that:

1. People with a high Klout score “have a constant access to technology that will enable you to undertake activities that contribute to this score.”

2. “We have a growing gap between those people that get to use technology and the internet frequently – and know how to use it to their advantage – and those that don’t.”

I don’t know how things work in the UK where Ms. Fisher is based, but in the US, access to technologies like Twitter and Facebook – the primary basis for the Klout Score – is FREE! Anyone with access to a smartphone has access to these tools – anytime, anywhere.

If someone doesn’t have a smartphone, we even have a thing called libraries where people can use the internet absolutely free! Of course, that means they might miss a couple of episodes of American Idol or Days of Our Lives!

According to a recent article in Latinos Post: “The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a study on Wednesday confirming what seemed to be an inevitability in modern American life: more Americans own smartphones than those who don’t. Of those surveyed, about 56 percent overall could be classified as smartphone owners, and when the study was broken down into demographics, Hispanics helped lead the trend with 60 percent smartphone ownership, though accounting for the margin of error puts both statistics on par with each other.”

The last time I was in London, I was surprised at how many teens were glued to their smartphones using Facebook.

Thus, the truth is that even the “underprivileged” can easily have a high Klout Score. In fact, Klout is a great leveling tool which is a great enhancement to Democracy. In reality, people who have no CLOUT can have a lot of KLOUT.

For the first time in history, FREE tools like blogging, Facebook, and Twitter make it possible for people with NO resources, NO education, and NO special access to reach the world – sharing their talents & message. This can catapult a person into celebrity-hood (ala Justin Bieber) or even get them elected to a high political office.

Much like a bathroom scale is to someone wanting to lose weight, Klout is simply a tool for measuring social media effectiveness. I find it extremely helpful to gauge my social media efforts and those of my clients.

“Klout is simply a tool for measuring social media effectiveness.” via @GinaCarr #KloutMatters

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Further, as a marketing consultant, I find it to be an incredibly helpful tool for identifying people who might be interested in my clients’ products and services. Though not a client of mine, the Chevrolet Volt Klout Perk campaign is a great example of how a company can filter through a noise world – using a tool like Klout – to find people who are likely to be great product advocates.

In this campaign, Chevrolet was able to offer a free trial of the new Chevy Volt. Because of Klout, they were able to identify people who were:

1. influential online (that is, they had an audience that listened to them),

2. were environmentally conscious, and

3. were especially interested in cars.

This ability to filter the citizens of the world is an enormous advantage to a company. It also provides a gateway to people who would never have had such opportunities in the past.

“This ability to filter the citizens of the world is an enormous advantage” via @GinaCarr…

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When big companies like Sony, Disney, Nike, & Microsoft pay attention to Klout, I pay attention too. In fact, according to Klout’s blog, they have “delivered one million Perks to Klout users from over 400 brands.”

Although I have never worked for Klout, I have studied the company, social scoring, and influence marketing extensively. I have co-authored a book on the subject for McGraw-Hill (Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Build Digital Influence, and…Raise Your Klout Score, to be released Fall 2013) and I consult with people who want to improve their ability to engage their customers, enhance their digital image, and…(in the process) raise their Klout Score.

I hope that people will dig into the benefits of this field of social scoring and influence marketing. Klout is not the only social scoring company. Other companies pioneering this field include Kred, Appinions, and PeerIndex.

In a noisy world, people need tools to filter out what is important. Tools like Klout and Kred help do that. This is just the beginning of a social scoring movement that will indeed “democratize” the world by creating powerful citizen influencers.

“In a noisy world, people need to filter out what is important.” via @GinaCarr #KloutMatters

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If you like talking about Klout, I invite you to join my private Facebook Group that is dedicated solely to that. Just click here and ask to join. It is a great place to ask questions about Klout, share advice, and learn about social scoring.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR PRINTED PUBLICATION, E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? To republish this article, please include the following:

Posted by Gina Carr. Dean of the Social Buzz University and co-author of the forthcoming Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Boost Your Digital Influence and Raise Your Klout Score for Success (published by McGraw-Hill, Fall 2013). Gina is a popular social media marketing speaker at events, trade shows, and corporations around the world. Find out more about how Gina can help you build your online reputation at www.ginacarr.com.

Related Articles & Links:

Klout and the Threat to Democracy

Hispanic Smartphone Ownership Higher Than The National Average

1 Million Perks

Chevy Volt – Klout Recap

Klout Matters: How to Engage Customers, Build Digital Influence, and…Raise Your Klout Score

Klout Perks Takes NYC Influencers to Microsoft’s Windows8 Microtropolis

Gina’s Facebook Group Focused on Klout

Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Profitable Content Creation – What Happened After They Told Me I Couldn’t Write (True Story)

Enjoy this guest post by my friend Jeff Herring:

Content Marketing is a great way to build your online business. The problem is that most people who teach it stop at the point of creating content. While creating profitable content is essential, there is so much more you can do with your content. That’s why I expand Content Marketing into the 5 things you need to be successful online in any niche: content creation, online visibility, traffic generation, list building and product creation.

A funny thing happened along the way

As some of you know, I never finished my Ph.D. in Marriage & Family Therapy back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Have you ever been told you could not do something? If you’re anything like me, that just makes me want to do it all the more, if for no other reason than to prove them wrong.

Except this time when some of my dissertation committee told me I couldn’t write well at all, somehow that got in, and I took them at their word.

So if you believe you can’t write, you don’t finish your dissertation and you don’t get your Ph.D.

So then in 1994 I started writing a weekly column about relationships for the local paper that filled my private practice to overflowing. I must confess that I did get a kick out of having a full practice while others with a Ph.D. were struggling.

Not too long ago someone from the dissertation committee signed up for one of my Content Creation Workshops. That’s a day we still celebrate.

As author Richard Bach says “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.” I like to say, and sometimes accidentally change Bach’s quote into “argue for your limitations and you get to keep them.” Same message that is worth taking with you.

Bottom Line: Be careful, be very careful, about the limitations others, and especially you, try to put on you… and which ones you believe.

So what’s to be learned from all this?

Here are a few learning points about writing and creating content:

1) As stated above, don’t accept, ever, the limitations others put on you. In fact don’t accept the limitations you put on yourself. They are often times just beliefs – a feeling of certainty about something. It can be quite fun to challenge those limitations and prove them wrong.

2) I probably still couldn’t write academically if you held a gun to my head. And, fortunately, I don’t want or need to do so. The great news is I don’t have to and neither do you. All you need to do is write conversationally. In other words, simply write like you talk.

3) Number 2 works because prospects are attracted to your voice. Not the audio sound of your voice, but the way you approach and solve problems. That is your voice, and no one else can deliver it like you.

4) If you can write a 5 item grocery list, you can create profitable content based on your own expertise. You can then turn that content into a powerful presence on the web and be found all over your niche, lots of traffic visiting your profit sites, build a highly qualified and responsive list community, and create profits by creating, marketing and offering information products based on your content.

The truth is I’ve been creating content to building my businesses, both offline (a thriving therapy practice from 1986 – 2006) and online (helping entrepreneurs build their online business with Content Marketing 2006 – NOW), since 1994.

And I want to bring those 18 years experience creating profitable content to you with this Webinar “How to Create Prospect & Profit Pulling Content in 20 Minutes or Less with Jeff Herring” on Wednesday March 27th at 12 pm EST – Join us here => http://JeffHerring.com/gina

Posted on Thursday, November 15, 2012

What Are the Most Important Social Media Platforms for Speakers & Authors?

A friend recently asked me: “Which are the “absolute must” social media platforms that professional speakers in 2013 should participate in? And, what would be on the list of “nice to be on?””

I put together a few quick lists based on what is working for my clients and what I see being important for 2013.

I recommend that speakers start with a blog as the foundation for sharing their intellectual property. This blog can be text, audio, video, or photo based. The best blogs incorporate a variety of media. For speakers, text and video are particularly important.

In order to get traffic to the blog where you can share your thoughts, build your community, and offer your products and services, you need to amplify your content through social networks, bookmarks, and other platforms. These sites produce great results for my clients.

Absolute Musts:

1. Linkedin* (personal and company profiles)

2. Twitter

3. Facebook* (This is #1 if more B2C (public events) and/or if target is network marketing organizations.) Most people need a Personal Profile and a Business Page. However, many speakers can make do with only a Personal Profile.

4. Google+ – important for SEARCH

5. Youtube – very important for speakers

* Ideally, speakers will have their own group on either Linkedin or Facebook.

Nice to Be On:

1. Pinterest – see www.pinterest.com/diannabooher for a great example

2. Klout – shows your area of expertise and how influential you really are – increasingly important. Klout is not exactly a social platform; it is a social scoring system which considers several social networks.

3. Kred – another social scoring platform. Good to register and connect accounts.

Collaborative Networks: (Great places to get your content shared.)

1. Social Buzz Club – You can join for Free. If you want to upgrade for more sharing, use discount code BUZZDEAL31 for 51% off. (my affiliate code)

2. Triberr – supposed to be a great place for sharing content. I find it difficult to use.

3. Facebook Groups like NSA Klout Klimbers (secret group) NSA members can request to join.

Social Bookmarks:

1. Stumbleupon – can generate serious traffic

2. Reddit – even President Obama used this to reach voters in the recent election

3. Delicious

4. Digg

AUTHOR – special sites:

1. Amazon Author Central

2. Goodreads

3. Shelfari

4. RedRoom

What is your MUST HAVE social platform? Where do you get the most return on your investment of time, energy, or money?

I’d love to see your comments below.

If you need help with getting traffic to your blog or website, get in touch with me. My team manages the marketing for several speakers and trains speakers how to use social media marketing to produce the greatest results in the least amount of time.

Join us for the First Ever Klout-A-Thon!

Featuring Social Media Experts Mari Smith, Joel Comm, Kim Garst, Viveka von Rosen and others!

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Join us for the First Ever
Klout-A-Thon!

Featuring Social Media Experts
Mari Smith, Joel Comm, Kim Garst,
Viveka von Rosen and others!