New Media Marketing:

This is the continued discussion from my January column on WomenEntrepreneur.com, talking about how women are finally getting a level playing field with Web 2.0 and the New Media Marketplace.

Last month, we talked about the second quality women have that gives them an advantage over men when marketing with New Media. Now let’s explore the third quality women naturally possess, giving them an edge in the Web 2.0 world.

3. Quality of the Successful New Media Marketer: Natural Influencer

Since the dawn of time, women have been influencing men–whether men admit it or not (Remember the apple? Bathsheba?).

Let’s cut to the chase for this post and go “Twitter Style,” shall we?

The bottom line is that, to influence and motivate another person, you really need to know what that other person cares about deeply. You need to discover what he or she is most proud of, what he or she enjoys doing, and what his or her goals are in business and in life.

Otherwise, you’re just employing a “one size fits all” approach–and all the ladies know that’s really not a size that works for anybody!

I think that’s what has created such a “Twitaddiction” (Twitter + addiction = Twitaddiction) in me and many others like me who are actively engaged on Twitter. You get to know what people are really interested in. And you get this information in bite-size pieces, so it doesn’t take that much time, which is what attracts men to Twitter in droves.

But here’s what I’ve seen. You can tell me if you’ve seen the same thing. When men first hear about Twitter they balk, scrunch up their faces and often ask, “Why would I want to participate in something that’s just a waste of my time? All this talk about nothing!”

Or aspiring entrepreneurs hear about how effective Twitter is for search-engine optimization, so they sign up, get their name reserved, but then fail to engage with their followers or participate in the conversation to get to know their clients or the marketplace.

I’ve seen one too many male-owned Twitter accounts with Tweet after Tweet pointing their followers to their blog with a tiny URL link. Hmmm . . . not very participatory or influencing, is it?

Mind you, this is not to group all men in this category because there are plenty of exceptions. Among them is Warren Whitlock, otherwise referred to as @WarrenWhitlock on Twitter, who really understands how to build connections on social networking sites. But my opinion is that he is not in the norm.

Robert Scoble (aka: @Scobleizer on Twitter) is another exception. He’s constantly asking engaging questions that often keep me hooked on Twitter long past midnight just to listen to all the answers to his conversation-stimulating questions.

I’m merely pointing out that connecting and influencing people is not something that comes naturally to men. But just as any skill can be learned in business in order to succeed, men are learning from women how to succeed in the New Media Marketplace that requires you to really get to know your clients, prospects and followers.

Someone on Twitter (Lisa Hyatt aka: @AboutLisa ) recently Tweeted, “If ‘Content’ is King–then ‘Marketing’ is Queen.”

All good chess players know that the queen is far more flexible and powerful on the board than the king is. That’s because she possesses the ability to engage in more moves. Some might call this “influencing”–wouldn’t you agree?
Perhaps it’s how our brains are wired, having both sides connected and communicating with each other, that makes us natural influencers and communicators.

Whatever it is–women, you need to embrace your natural gifts and use them for good, realizing that you have a natural advantage in the New Media Marketplace. Sso get going! No more excuses for you. There is no more glass ceiling with Web 2.0.

And men–keep on learning from the women you see who are effectively using New Media to gain followers through their ability to connect and influence their tribe. Two women pop into my mind immediately: @LynnTerry and @MariSmith, found on Twitter.

Oh! And if Twitter is a new word or concept for you, you can follow any of the above names prefaced with the @ symbol by going to Twitter.com and inserting his or her user name after it. You can find my profile and follow me on Twitter here: Twitter.com/CoachDeb

Now it’s your turn to talk back. Am I totally sexist or do I have a point?

What’s your Influence Quotient?

If you’re a man reading this with steam coming out your ears because you think you Tweet in an influential way–share your @ ID so we can check you out and see whether you’re worth following and/or continue to show you how to influence your Tribe in a more persuasive manner. In other words, we can help you bring out your “feminine side.”

I want to hear what you have to say about this quality being a natural quality women possess. Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your feedback in the comment box below.

Share your comments below.

For more on this topic, see the column, “Move Over, Men” at WomenEntrepreneur.com.

NOTE: Stay tuned for part 4 in this series… where I’m sure I’ll really say something cheeky about men vs. women.

In my January column in Entrepreneur magazine, I promised to share the “Seven Characteristics of the Successful New Media Marketer” that women possess–giving them a significant advantage over men.

Here’s where you get to tell me whether I’m being sexist or if I’m right on.

Last month, we talked about the first quality that gives women the advantage over men when marketing with New Media. Now let’s explore the second quality women possess that gives them an edge in the Web 2.0 world.

2. Quality of the Successful New Media Marketer: Natural Rapport Builder
A woman knows when she’s being used like a cheap prom date. She instinctively knows when a man isn’t being genuine with her. Especially when that man is trying to sell her something. Her trust-radar goes on full alert the second she smells a rat.

Too often, men in sales try to manipulate a woman into buying something she’s not ready for. Usually she doesn’t feel ready because she hasn’t done enough research. And if she feels the salesperson is just trying to build rapport by talking about her children or family, she’ll be turned off to the entire transaction and go elsewhere.

This is why Web 2.0 is her preferred method of evaluating products and services. If she doesn’t like the “smell” of a site, she can click away and never be bothered by that salesperson again.

Influencing someone to make the right decision is NOT the same as manipulating someone
for your own personal gain.

Influence always comes from a place where both parties benefit from the interaction. Perhaps you’ve successfully influenced a child’s decision not to do drugs. Your efforts in influencing your child come from a genuine place, and you have your child’s best interests at heart.

When you’re building rapport with someone new, and you’re not coming from a place where you have the other person’s best interests at heart, you’re emitting an odor that can be detected as far away as someone else’s computer screen if you’re doing business online.

Good news!
When a woman truly feels she is being listened to and respected, she’ll not only buy from you–she’ll be a loyal, raving fan who buys from you again and again–and tells all her friends about you and your services! She’ll serve as an evangelist, spreading the gospel of your products and services.

But only if you first spend the time to build rapport with her so she feels comfortable taking the next step with you.

The funny thing is, a woman sales professional naturally has this advantage of building rapport with people. Her natural instinct is to make people feel welcome. And it comes from a place of genuine concern to get to know the other person.

A woman’s predisposition toward developing relationships with people comes in handy when it comes to sales. No one wants to be “sold.” But everyone enjoys being partnered with and being helped.

Finally a woman’s role playing “hostess” is coming in handy! Finally, what we got criticized for in the 1980s and ’90s, we are being rewarded generously for in the 21^st century. We are begin rewarded by new visitors’ business and loyalty.

Now it’s your turn to talk back.

I want to hear what you have to say about this quality being a natural quality women possess. Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your feedback in the comment box below.

For more on this topic, see the column, “Move Over, Men” at WomenEntrepreneur.com.

NOTE: Stay tuned for part 3 in this series…

In my January column in Entrepreneur Magazine, I promised to share on this New Media Marketing blog the “Seven Characteristics of the Successful New Media Marketer” that women possess, so you can participate in the conversation and share your two cents’ worth on this controversial topic.

1.Quality of the Successful New Media Marketer: Trustworthiness
Like it or not, both men and women feel women are naturally more trustworthy than men. That’s not just in relationships, but in business as well.

Whether this is true or not, perception is reality. So when it comes to quickly and easily establishing trust in the sales relationship, women have an advantage in business.

Men often mistakenly think that sales is all about research and planning. While these are notable activities to engage in, in any business transaction, all the research in the world will not take the place of establishing trust in the relationship. Without trust, there is no use for all the research in the world. Therefore, planning must be set on the foundation of trust.

Historically, women have known just how important it is to trust their intuition. So when salespeople try to manipulate us, we have this sixth sense that tells us whether to move forward or move on.

Interestingly, society, spouses and the corporate world have tried to teach us that intuition is not as important as facts. They’ve tried to get us to rely less on our intuition and more on data. And it’s a sad day anytime corporate America succeeds in killing this natural instinct and gift women have been born with.

Fortunately, wise women know that ignoring their instincts would be a fatal mistake and therefore continue to trust their gut when making important decisions. Wise men have also come to rely on their female partner’s intuition. That’s why a spouse often will hold off on the decision-making process until he can run it by his wife.

Could this be where the phrase, “Behind every successful man there’s a woman,” came from? Perhaps it’s this intuition backing up his decisions that initiated this expression.

Trust is critical in any business relationship. And women know how to build trust, naturally. Therefore, this is the first advantage women have over men when marketing with new media.

What are your thoughts on all this?

I’d love to hear your opinion on this. Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your feedback.

For more on this topic, see the column, “Move Over, Men” at WomenEntrepreneur.com.

In part two of this series I’ll share the second quality women have naturally that’s perfect for marketing with new media.

PS: I’ll repeat the hint shared in this month’s Entrepreneur column:

HINT: Get a male/female partnership in business and you’ll have an even greater advantage by applying each person’s natural skills to the appropriate task needed in the company.

Share your comments below.

Some media pundits and mainstream prognosticators are worried about Web 2.0 being a bubble. And they’re trying to get you worried, too. Is there something to their claims that New Media in general, and companies in the Web 2.0 arena in particular are exhibiting “bubble-like behavior” similar to the internet bubble of the late ’90s early ’00s?

I say… who cares?! And if you’re a business owner, marketer, or sales professional — you can say the same thing.

While there are financing elements that are showing bubble-like characteristics, there are important fundamental differences between the first internet bubble and what is going on with some Web 2.0 companies today.

As a business owner, marketer, or sales professional there is no need to worry about Web 2.0 “bubbles.” The fact that New Media involves the average person with interaction and participation right from the start is what provides a solid foundation.

The bottom line is that the Web 1.0 bubble was a financial investment bubble. The popularity and rapid spread of Web 2.0 is due to the investment of attention, participation and intellectual capital. When you hear the mainstream media squawking like chicken little, there is no need to worry. If you are using Web 2.0 and New Media to market, there is no need to fear. The people will stay even if the venture capital firms don’t.

Watch this quick video highlighting the CEOs of some the top Web 2.0 companies and hear what they have to say about the likely hood of a Web 2.0 bubble. After you do, I’m sure you’ll agree with my assessment. If you don’t, let us know why you disagree. Either way - I’d like to hear your opinion.