The importance of authority and trust on the Internets should not be looked at lightly. It can do wonders for your brand, persona, client relationships, future engagements, validate pricing (increases) for service and products – and – Google.

A trusted site will have lasting impact for positioning and more easily spider your site.  Let’s take a look at what it is, and how Social Media can put you there fast.

The defining point for websites is the amount of authority or expertise they demonstrate in their particular niche. Defining authority in terms of website design and content is based on many factors, however for the sake of simplicity, website authority is:

“A PERSON WHO HAS DEVELOPED EXPERT KNOWLEDGE AND HAS SHARED THIS KNOWLEDGE, TO THE POINT WHERE THEIR OPINION(S) REGARDING CERTAIN ISSUES ARE RESPECTED AND TRUSTED BY INDUSTRY PEERS.”

This definition is both interesting and important because it is through the process of sharing your knowledge that it becomes an asset; the more freely knowledge is circulated, the more rapidly your reputation grows by attracting the audience who is searching for this information. Social Media is all about sharing (and caring).

Web publishing is based on the model of packaging and circulating information via text, graphic images and rich media. In terms of the dissemination of information or sharing ideas, the people behind a) an authority web presence, the b) experts in a specific niche – can easily be compared to the world of academia because both of these groups are heavily invested in their field of endeavor.  They are able to provide extraordinary insight from their experience and research.

These two groups share similar traits that make it easy to identify them:

• Provides public access to their knowledge: An expert knows how to translate highly specialized information to a format that is easily understood by anyone. For instance explaining the impact of a news event and providing the information in a way the reader can utilize.
• Up-to-date and well-versed in current industry news: Especially in social media marketing there is a heavy emphasis on being well-informed. The information you distribute has to be factual and accurate, otherwise it can lead to serious problems. An expert is well informed in regard to all the latest developments in their niche which places them in the position of being consulted when there are questions on issues, or to make announcements that pertain to their networks.
• Broaden the perspective: Because they are acknowledged experts, this affords them the ability to change the perceptions and perspectives. Experts can bring new information to light, and test the validity of traditional concepts or practices by introducing new ideas or principles, theory or terminology from related fields of interest.
• Accumulate and validate information: Experts are selective in the information that they disseminate, filtering the content they provide for their audience. They distill the most vital data from the content and bring together related viewpoints or discussions to provide a comprehensive overview of the issue. This allows others to contribute ideas on how to move forward toward a solution.
• Research, research and more research. Experts study the phenomenon of current events more thoroughly than others and because of this they have access to knowledge that is unique. They also analyze current events or perform case studies to support their theories.

So, armed with this information and understanding how important it is to create and sustain – perhaps the best place to start is by looking at others – who started with “nothing”:

Problogger.com and Dosh Dosh are two highly trusted sites with people who began with humble beginnings. It required focus, knowledge, dedication and passion – to be sure. But, also a willingness not to quit – while watching their marketplace, building online friendships and where interaction and communication was dead center.

So, what is your passion? And, have you dared to really ask yourself how to make a difference? Is it your own (crappy) belief that is preventing you from moving forward? You do have the potential, and moving into massive action, and seeing the results will further deepen your belief and positive reinforcement.  Believing in yourself is key.

Next – use social media to thrust yourself into the conversation, don’t over-analyze it – and contribute with helpful information, ask questions and make sure you think long term. Your authority building is not an over-night thing, and neither is getting rich, or growing plants.

Start with Twitter, Facebook, and search for related blogs within your niche. Use Google’s Blogsearch.

Tell me what I can do to get you started.

P.S.

(This is a modified extract of a 90-page, new social media e-book coming out today. There’s also a free preview download).

Ask me on Twitter

Next week, I’ll be joining local social media business experts and panelists at the new Gravity Summit at UCLA Faculty Center (Feb 25th) to give my perspective of the event (in a follow-up post).

I’m excited about this.

Social media marketing (SMM) is confusing to many small business owners, but yet its power and reach are recognized as a huge new opportunity by so many.

In my own SEO consulting work, I use social media strategies as an extension to SEO/M. It’s all about PR and developing the “right” exposure for your brand, along with quality content build-outs and positioning.

In a previous post with Brent Csutoras, we clearly can see how brand building using this new media creates opportunities for both networking (people), as well as bringing potentially massive links and traffic.

If you are looking to build business opportunities like these:

• New Clients
• New Relationships
• Brand Extension
• Website Traffic
• Value and Deeper Reach

… and, if you could:

• Understand better how it all works
• See the “light” faster, and apply some cool stuff
• Build for higher ROI
• Learn from experts and industry pundits
• Socialize with locals in your town (Los Angeles!)

–would you take a look? I know I am.

A key goal for this conference is that by the time you leave (it’s an all-day’er), you will have a set of best practices, direct action items you can apply to your own business, unique insights, great case studies, trends data, tools and access to new experts in the field.

Follow for more information on

twitter.com/gravitysummit

See you there – let me know if you’re coming – I’d love to interview/speak with you:

twitter.com/jonrognerud

First, a no-brainer question:

“Where do you, as a business owner, get started with social media? In other words, taking action today, for results tomorrow”?

Before answering that, let me tell you that, for me, it’s been a great year in terms of discovering the power of social media. (For clarification, social media is defined as “A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction”). (searchenginewatch.com)

I have seen massive traffic increases and wide expansion of brand awareness (i.e. mindshare) using social channels. This has surpassed the more traditional–but also very viable–SEO route. (Note: This is an “it depends,” so as to not offend the SEOs out there).

Communities and communication can be a great equalizer for your small business, and you don’t have to learn anything you don’t already know.
Sure, there are techniques to learn, but I’m not talking about that. I’m purely calling out the fact that you can leverage “you.” Imagine going to a cocktail party for a business event. How and with whom you interact can make a potentially big difference in future business. If you know how to talk, share and listen (in reverse order), you’re on your way.

The companies who have paid attention to social media have been able to build brand loyalty in a big way.
The conversations and interactions create an emotional connection, which makes surfers take action in a much more positive way that also increases conversions. This is the “conversation/inbound marketing” approach, vs. the old way of “interruption marketing.” (This is nothing new, see marketing thought leader Seth Godin’s post from ten years ago).

Social media marketing is using technology platforms as an extension of the already established human connection. People want to do business with people. So getting customers to know you personally will yield advantages for your business. Don’t hide behind your desk or BS corporate infrastructure. It’s not safe anywhere.

You must keep your integrity intact here.
Spamming will serve you poorly. Placing affiliate links everywhere will hurt you. When you consider the power of the “thumbs up/down” voting system on a platform such as Digg.com, you’ll learn how to be cool, very quickly. This speaks to the inherent “rule of social media land”: honesty, integrity and making real friends and business connections are more important than showcasing a huge list of friends on Facebook, for example.

If you are having issues with leads and business flow, establish yourself as a leader in your space.  You may have already, but expand it with social media marketing.

Earning yourself the love is easy.
… Just talk with people, share something of value, make it useful and unique. (Jon’s note: See the pattern of providing good, quality content here that I’ve talked about before? Users and search engines love it!)

With shrinking budgets and a tightening of pockets everywhere, we now must try to make more with less. Since social media technologies are widely available and growing fast, you can use and build social media systems yourself. (see ning.com). The power of creating personal or business profiles and more at Facebook and Linkedin should be considered. Learning how to use them all for revenue results becomes a higher focus in 2009.

But this is all complex stuff!
Not really. Begin your year with a fun, detailed explanation of the number one social media spot. This will be a game changer for your business, if you do it right.

Begin Today:
Get the social media marketing information here.

P.S.
Hint: A bird sang in my ear.

Not only does he enjoy speaking on the topic, but he has a deep understanding and provides a mountain of great information you can use. I felt like that good hour we spent could have easily turned into days. I have attempted to distill our conversation about social media marketing into key learning points and some things you can do to get started today.

I should add that Brent is not only a tactician (”eats his own dog food”) but believes in good planning and sound strategies before starting any campaign online, whether SEO, PPC or social media.

Social media is *not* about just bookmarking your sites all over the place and joining Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, and posting some “pitchy” links. I hope that’s not what you’re doing. Social media marketing (SMM) is serious business, and you must have the same attitude about everything you do.

I asked him about “how to go viral,” but it became evident quickly that it’s not just a checklist thing, but rather deep understanding of your marketplace, people and community strategies, and a lot of work. Brent works 12 to 14 hours every day, 365 days a year. (He gets a “break” when he speaks at search marketing conferences such as SES.)

He not only researches and tests all the models and tools but provides services to a number of high-profile clients (whom he will not, understandably, reveal). Brent has a massive passion for this field, wants to give back to the community and is considered one of the best.

Brent is also speaking at the upcoming Search Engine Strategies show in San Jose, coming up August 18. I’ll have summaries from that trip, too.

J: What is social media?
B: Social media definitions exist. However, I say it’s what people think of last: “links.” I think of social media as modern day link building. As you do your research, think about how to acquire quality links. While many social networks, tools and blogs have “no-follow” tags applied, there are “do-follows” out there. For example, at current time, Reddit follows links. That’s powerful. However, while links and early links are important, there is a phased approach to this. I call this the “wave model.” The first wave is all about the social community penetration and expansion into your community. The second wave is about the “links that really matter.” These are the page rank 8 to 9 links that most would sell their car for! I explain this further under “Social Media Builds Traffic” below.

J: Can you give me some background on how you got started and how social media impacted you?
B: I began in SEO, worked for a company in the health-care section and did the online marketing for about 50 to 60 clients. I listened to Webmaster Radio almost every day for a period. SEO Rockstars Todd Friesen, Greg Boser are top guys, and they seeded the right thoughts in my head; they got me wanting to be an internet marketer. I would listen, write down the information, study and learn every day–even in my car. That hasn’t stopped. It was at PubCon 2006 when I received a faster ramp-up when I met BOTW guys Greg and Brian Prince, and later in 2007 with additional network support in Todd Malicoat (SEO), Chris Winfield (SMM) and Neil Patel (SEO/SMM). Danny Sullivan invited me to speak as well. I was impressed with their credentials, but my personal style and approach [are] to be humble, and I listened and watched carefully. The interesting thing is that real world networking helped me before social media did. I often say that the rules of social media are very similar if not the same as the real world. You must conduct and act the same in order to succeed. Quality information prospers, however, just like anything on the net. I was accepted and so does Google, apparently (search for “brent” in Google).

J: How does a brand new person start with social media?
B: OK, assuming you have a plan with clearly defined objectives and goals (you must!)–consider social media, but also PPC, SEO. Include these as a whole picture, not just in parts. All activities need focused and ongoing attention, i.e., it never stops, and you must consider expenditures (people, resources, etc.) versus return. Social media can have high returns, but you must bring all of the tracks back to your original plan and measure it along the way. SM is not something you do on the side: You must dedicate an employee 100 percent or get a new one hired in, or outsource to an established expert.

Here’s a high-level starter plan you can use for social media:

Phase One: Write good, quality content! After strategy signoff, start by participating in the communities. Provide real and useful comments, no spam obviously. Do not try to game this; build your presence online over time. You might benefit looking at the smaller communities, befriend some of the (top) profiles there, and start looking at how you can provide good content for that community. Then, start pushing: “Butter the network,” as I call it.

Phase Two: Make your site social media-friendly. No funky popups or hard to read/use sites. Blogs are commonly used, but make sure it’s professionally designed. Lately, I’ve found that authoritative sites can and will do better–and even commercial sites. Think about this: “Where do you want to be sourced from?” Even unique content on a crappy site will not get the respect it deserves.

Phase Three: Continue researching and networking. Continue to build quality content for your own sites and the communities. This can take a long time, but the results are worth it!

J: Generally speaking, what do you consider “must-have” sites/profiles to establish?
B: Depending on your business, you might consider Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Digg, Reddit, Delicious, Sphinn, Propeller, StumbleUpon, but this is the order of importance at current time: Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Propeller, Sphinn and LinkedIn, listed last because it is just a static resume, not a wide network reach.

All articles should have references to these profiles. (Jon: Check a recent poll at Lee Odden’s TopRank Blog–Social Networks Influences)

J: How much time should a person spend on social media?
B: Let me answer it this way: What is your dedication? Have you made a firm to decision to proceed? If you only have an hour or so per day, don’t even try Digg or Reddit–you’d be better off spending some time on Sphinn, StumbleUpon or bookmarking services only. However, make sure to set up complete profiles for your company or brand on the sites you target. You will not get a lot of traffic or brand recognition at first, but you must/should start today.

However, as with any marketplace online, it depends on your niche. In any case, you do want to become the top dog in your industry, which will take time, as I mentioned. You may find yourself in six months of full-time, dedicated work, trial and error, until something sticks. What works for one will work differently for another. I see 99 percent success, and most of the time, but you never know when an administrator on an important network gives you a thumbs down, and you’re gone!

You must always be researching while online, look at the competition and find the sites with best-result-opportunities ratios. Then, you must discover the community that supports your business, and find the topics within it.

A tip to find out what people are talking about within your niche, do this: Go to Google and type ‘site: “digg.com” keyphrase.’ You can also go to most social media news sites and sort by most popular, etc. Your end goal in research is this: What has been successful? Then, build on that.

Update: Google just released its insights search tool, to help find patterns and analytics in search: Check out the Google Insights tool.

J: Word on the street says that social media builds traffic, but does not provide good ROI.
B: I don’t agree. Link building, which is the most important aspect to social, has an ROI. You can test your landing page to tune up the conversions, always–and you should. The people in SMM are not typically in a hot buy mode, true. However, the conversion is there, but it’s long term–certainly not gained in the first tier of traffic. However, as you build, you would hope to get the highest, best portion of the linkerati : the top bloggers, the central journalists for your niche, etc.

Let me explain how social media traffic works, in a tiered model. It builds on the “social media wave model” mentioned at the top.

First Tier Traffic – ‘Wave 1′: This is people who are not in your niche and not likely to be interested in anything more than the single article they have landed on. This is not the traffic or movement you want, but it is necessary and you don’t get to the 2nd tier without it. Google wants links and content. You can be ranked for a number of days short term and be visible across the board – but it can sometimes drop off. People providing blog posts, video posts, etc – will get you social community site links, but you need to look for natural links. That comes next.

Second Tier Traffic – ‘Wave 2′: RSS Feeds, bloggers, journalists – those that go back and write about you a few days or a week later, or even those who are looking for current stories to write about for their deadline in a few hours. The highly sought after PageRank 8-9 can be attained this way. These are the highly trusted links with the quality and authority that you want. (Jon: This is big, I missed this myself until I spoke to Brent).

As an example, imagine you hit the front page of Digg about your Dog business – having a unique and different story listed, pointing back to your blog about Dogs. If a major pet company picks up the story, and they link to you, you’ll receive potentially massive traffic and it will be highly targeted. You will be ranking well for your keywords for a longer time and as you continue building, more and more success will be created from your trust within the communities and search engines. If you have good quality content, people will naturally link to you. If you sell something, try to build focused, single keywords to promote. Build content around that.

J: How can I write viral content around boring products? For example, if I was a sink company, how would I drive massive traffic and build authority around it?
B: The “Top 10” type of lists work very well. People online often don’t read the entire article – they scan. Fun, controversial and useful tips and lists work all the time. You could create the “Top 10 most expensive sinks – ever”, or “How to unclog any sink in less than 10 seconds”. Make sure to get your keyword or phrase in the title. You may consider videos and images to complement your article. But, before you start crafting that killer piece, participate in the communities related to your topic. Research the commentaries, what type of content and write quality copy. All of social media is a huge time commitment, and you should have 100’s of people in your network, be recommended by others, seen as an active participant and add value and involved in the site – continually.

J: What are some of the tools of trade?
B: This is human intensive. And why not – it’s all about the communities and the people! To use automation tools and try to software-enable this will not work. There are however, some resources and tools that can help on the basics. You may consider creating some internal tools for yourself to help organize.

I wrote an article for Search Engine Land: “Tools for engaging in Social Media”, start with that. (Brent’s Social Media Tool List)

Here are some tools that I use:

• Digg alerter – must use
• StumbleUpon
• Propeller
• ShareAholic – powerful

J: Thanks, Brent – and in closing can you tell me what you will be speaking about at the SES show in San Jose?
B: I will cover things like a) what is social media, b) what is it good for, c) what sites give you the biggest bang and the all important d) “I get it, but why is it good?”

Dear Reader, as you have come to understand,social media is a lot work if you do want to get to the mountain top for your business. So, don’t just do what you must, but develop your plan, take complete action and go full force!

Brent, see you at the 2008 search engine strategies show – should be exciting this year…

Their social media-related sessions, expert panelists and conference support staff were really attentive to detail and provided in-depth, real case studies of success (and not!). And even though the show in Long Beach this week on social media was small (if 200 people is tiny?), I enjoyed having a chance to meet many new people, including the above, and rock star SEOs Rand & Michael.

I was thinking of a great way to introduce social bookmarking to readers of my blog and discovered this cool video–commoncraft actually has many more, if you want to get more creative and useful videos.

Check out the below social bookmarking video explained, and come back next week for more tips on how to reach a wider audience with social media marketing strategies and tools. A quick way to bookmark across many platforms is the tool Socialmarker.

I also suggest checking out Marketing Pilgrim Social Media Marketing Guide for more 16 great ways to Social Media Marketing.