Companies who rely on social media as a customer service information outpost will be interested in a report that says, “The number of questions asked via social media channels account for less than 1/100th of a percent of questions asked via customer-facing websites.”

The report shows how much more likely people are to ask questions when they’re interacting directly at a company’s website versus communicating through a social network. To gather the data, Intelliresponse, a customer service management technology company, measured five clients’ results over a 30-day period.

That’s a small population; it would be interesting to analyze each company’s social media presence. For instance, if their customers are not active social media users, the number of questions might be higher. Still, that’s quite a gap to close. Download the report here.

Here are six ways to add customer information value to your site, starting at the very beginning of the prospect to customer cycle.

Have you ever walked into a store ready to buy, but you can’t get your questions answered? What happens? You walk out frustrated and the business loses the sale. On the web, traffic is unforgiving. That’s why it’s important to make your customer experience as clear and rewarding as possible.

1. Place contact information, including phone and an email icon on every page.
2. Add a contact page to your site that includes a form; monitor activity so you can respond right away.
3. Post a list of frequently asked questions that cover common objections to the sale, comparison to competition, and answers to most asked questions after the sale.
4. Feature top questions from social media as a monthly blog post. You can recognize your customers, with their permission, and share information with a wider audience.
5. Consider integrating technology. I used to prefer dialing in over chatting online with a customer service rep, but the wait time is  usually much less screen to screen.
6. Introduce your customer service reps on your site. Prospects and customers will feel more comfortable seeing a face and a name.

In the rush to get into social media, the company’s website may lose priority. Yes, it’s important, if not critical, to be where your customers can find you on LinkedIn, Facebook, twitter and Google+.  Remember, though, your home site is where your company is.

When do you interact with customers on your site versus via social media?

Just thinking about being in Arizona in April at this time of year gets this Chicagoan excited about going to InfusionCon 2012.

Location is only one reason InfusionCon will be a top-notch small business marketing conference. Last year I attended Infusionsoft’s Customer Tour in Chicago and got a preview of how well the company delivers its programs and training.

Check out my top 10 reasons to attend InfusionCon 2012 –  and wish me luck. This post is my entry in the Bloggers in Motion contest. Two winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip, including air travel and hotel. If you’d like to enter, you can, too. But hurry, the contest closes tonight.

Top 10 Reasons to Attend InfusionCon 2012

1. Iconic Location

As a former Oak Park resident and a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, I’d love to stay at the “Jewel of the Desert” and take photos of a few of these Phoenix, Arizona attractions.

2. Comprehensive Agenda

“Marketing in Motion” is the theme of this three-day power-packed small business marketing conference.

3. 30+ Compelling Speakers

Gary Vaynerchuk, Pam Slim, and other thought leaders will be there to motivate us to take action.

4. Infusionsoft Updates

After watching the winter release webinar, I’m excited about about learning more about Infusionsoft’s social media integration tools. Need ideas NOW? Check out Infusionsoft’s business growth resources.

5. Networking Connections

Being surrounded by successful business owners is always uplifting. Sharing a common connection makes interactions more meaningful. Here’s what my mastermind peer, Linda Allen of Just a Minute LLC, says about Infusionsoft, “We have an amazing automated lead-nurturing campaign in place and it’s helping us build better relationships with our customers. Before Infusionsoft, it was random one-off emails or phone calls. My favorite feature is the automated payment processing. We’ve boosted our subscription renewals tremendously from 40% to 80%.”

6. Ultimate Marketing Ideas

When I read the 2011 Ultimate Marketer Contest entries, I found inspiring and encouraging success stories that read like a “how to be profitable” manual. What could be better? Listening to the marketers live.

7. Content Rich

My clients, blog readers and social media followers look to me to share content that will help them develop business opportunities. This is a new conference for me, and will be for most of them. I love leading the way, and introducing my people to new people.

8. Value and More Value

Through February 1, InfusionCon registration is $225. And, get this – registration includes admission into all general and breakout sessions, access to the Ask The Expert room and an invitation to the Opening Night Party. Breakfast, lunch and break refreshments are also included for each day.

9. Right Size

At around 1,000 attendees, the conference will feel very manageable and just right.

10. Company Culture

Infusionsoft is known for its caring culture. I have a feeling InfusionCon isn’t really a software conference, it’s a community gathering.

Thanks to Infusionsoft for sponsoring this contest and bringing bloggers on board!

We all have them. Stories about how long it took to get paid. For creative business owners it can take months and months to see receipts come in long after a project is complete, in the clients hands and active.

Lucky for me, knock on wood, every single client has paid their invoices in full. Although, not all necessarily with 30 days. But, other creatives aren’t so lucky. And, not being paid on time is not restricted to creative service firms only. When Gary Bohringer, of Bohringer Creative, mentioned to me that he’d written a book about how to collect outstanding invoices without using a collection agency, I was intrigued.

Because Gary’s book, Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Collection Agency, covers how to do that, I won’t give away all of his secrets. But, being the clever creative person he is, Gary’s come up with a way to identify the outstanding debt in a way the whole world [hint: search engines] can see.

Did you know collection agencies can keep up to 50% of the amount owed to you?

When Gary realized hiring a collection agency would only recover half of the outstanding invoices, he decided to test out a new approach. He wrote down everything he did, illustrated the system and packaged it like a graphic novel into a book you can buy online.

Gary even includes example emails and site templates so that the project is simple and foolproof. I must admit it would take some bravery for me to undertake this method, but it works. At least it has for Gary – three times!

To give you an idea of what’s in the book, here’s some information from the site.

Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Collection Agency is designed for any business owner who is frustrated by deadbeat clients not paying their bills and

• Can’t get clients to pay through normal channels, such as repeated follow-up and adding interest charges to overdue balances.
• Does not want to hire a collection agency, which often requires you to reduce your fee and give a percentage of the collected balance to the agency for their services
• Cannot repossess the item that was sold to the deadbeat client, such as a business owner who provides professional services

At $27, Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Collection Agency, is an investment worth making – anytime you need to get your outstanding invoices paid.

FTA Disclosure: Links in the post are affiliate links, which means my company will receive compensation if you buy this product. I only recommend products and services I believe in and trust. Before you make any purchase, please consider the value and relevance of the product to your business.

Question: How about you? How much time would you wait before considering using a collection agency to get your invoices paid? 

Thanks so much to my friend Marla Tabaka for inviting me to contribute to her inc.com column. It’s exciting to be featured in “Unlocked Secrets on LinkedIn” on inc.com.

Marla says, “All too often I receive resistance when I suggest to a client that she utilize LinkedIn to build vendor, partner, and prospect relationships. But what might first feel like an intimidating pilgrimage into foreign land can result in a journey of growth, connection, and prosperity. All it takes is a little know-how—and the willingness to put yourself out there.” 

Where are you on your LinkedIn journey?

When I speak to groups and ask, “Who here is on LinkedIn?” usually at least 80% of the hands go up. When I ask “Who here believes they are optimizing their LinkedIn network’s potential?” maybe 10% agree. There is always room to make more progress – and get results.

Every time I work with Marla she makes me think.

I’ve written about PR and LinkedIn before. This time, Marla sent over a list of challenging questions like . . .

• Who is LinkedIn for? What types of businesses do you recommend use LinkedIn as their primary social media marketing tool?
• What’s the difference between leveraging LinkedIn versus Facebook and Twitter?
• How do you research connections and target customers for business development tips on creating relationships on LinkedIn?

Marla did a marvelous job of framing the LinkedIn information in with her life coach perspective.

Marla Tabaka is a life and business coach who helps entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses grow their companies faster. She serves as a Success Coach for Make Mine a Million and helps award recipients grow their businesses to $1 million and beyond. Marla has 25 years of experience in corporate, start up and entrepreneurial ventures.

Here’s a clip from the LinkedIn secrets post.

Once you have set up your company page think about how you can integrate LinkedIn throughout your sales and marketing strategy. Rozgonyi has the following suggestions:

• Utilize LinkedIn’s Card Munch app at networking events and on sales calls to connect to your prospects right away. Make sure you offer a free report or something else with value in your invitation to connect.
• Add LinkedIn’s blog application to your personal profile to pull in company blog updates.
• Install the slideshare application into your personal profile. Upload a PowerPoint about your company’s services and the presentation will appear on your profile.
• Invite customers to leave recommendations on the products and services page on your LinkedIn company page.

Are we connected on LinkedIn?  How do you grow relationships on LinkedIn?

Grab a LinkedIn Superstar ebook.

LinkedIn keeps getting better and better. And that’s why I like sharing these updates. Have you used LinkedIn’s Card Munch App, updated event interface or the group statistics feature? If so, I’m interested in your impressions.  Tell me – what did I leave out?

LinkedIn’s Card Munch iPhone app Digitizes Paper

Am I the only one out there who misplaces business cards? Maybe I have too many pockets. It’s time-consuming to search and rescue all the cards I pick up at events when I get back to the office.

Cards play hide and seek in my business card case, in my pockets, in my briefcase, in my car – and sometimes even in my wallet!

I love to meet people and exchange cards, but if we don’t continue the connection, what’s the point?

How quick would it to be scan one and you’re done? That’s what you can do with the free Card Munch iPhone app.

When to Use . . . While You’re There

1. at networking events – scan while you’re there and either toss or return the card, preferable, while you’re there
2. on appointments – scan, impress the client and send them a LinkedIn invitation, while you’re there
3. at a trade show – input new connections right away, while you’re there

Why to use the Card Munch iPhone app

1. automatically adds to your contact list
2. shows how you’re connected via LinkedIn
3. lets you recycle paper and preserve information

Side, but Big, Benefit: You don’t have to worry about whether or not you mistype when you input contact information on your iPhone.

Want more information? Join the group for members using LinkedIn mobile apps.

LinkedIn Events Gets More Social

I love the look of LinkedIn’s new event interface and I like the comment section. Now the event dialog can start before the event begins.

But, I do miss the option to confirm whether you’re a presenter or an organizer. Now you can only be an organizer. Since I set up events for clients and often add events where I’m speaking, I’d rather not be listed as the one in charge.

Also – it looks like, right now, that there is no way to delete an event.

Have you found any other kinks in the new interface?

While we don’t use LinkedIn as a primary registration site, we do use it as a promotional outpost. Why? It’s easy to set up, our event is in LinkedIn’s search and we can easily share – to twitter and Facebook – and invite people from LinkedIn.

Your event will stand out because there’s less competition for listings. In fact, the number of events that have a listing here is much lower in comparison to what’s really going on in Chicago. How do the number of listings match what’s happening in your area?

How to set up a LinkedIn event page:

1. Go to the more tab on the top nav bar. Click on events in the drop down menu. Click on create a group in the box at the top of the right column.
2. You’ll need the basics: time, date, place, registration site
3. Compose an event description that starts off with the most important details first, like names of speakers. You only have 200 or so characters to work with in the preview section, but you can add more detail in the complete description.
4. Write a great headline or event title that includes keywords.
5. Think about industries and titles: you’ll include those in the listing.
6. Add an image or a logo
7. Share the event via email, on networks, etc
8. Invite key people to visit the page and click attend so that they show up.

LinkedIn Group Statistics Reveal Dynamics

These beauties popped up on the eve of one of my LinkedIn webinars. That’s why I always check the LinkedIn blog right before I go on. It’s fun to “break news.” People love being the first to know – and I like to be the first to tell them.

To find statistics in groups you already belong to, click the more tab in the vertical nav bar. Look for statistics in the drop down menu. It should be the last item.

For groups you’re checking out, but don’t belong to yet, look for the group statistics icon on the right hand side of the page.  Click on it and you’ll see them.

smc-chicago-linkedin-group

What you get with LinkedIn group statistics:

Demographics snapshot of the members by level, role, location, and industry

Growth over time

Activity shows what’s going on inside the group

Information about groups your group can connect with for cross or co-promotions, event invitations and broader community discussions.

What do you find most interesting about group statistics?

Why you need group statistics:

1. Decide whether or not to join a group based on demographics
2. Target communications: to execs or entry level to save time and be direct
3. Track growth: if you’re the owner or manager you can see how your group is shaping up and how activity is flowing

Thanks for sharing your thoughts – how do you use LinkedIn as a marketing tool?

Want more information? Browse the wiredPRworks LinkedIn archive.

Would you like to connect with me on LinkedIn?