Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category
Facebook is the single biggest social networking site, in terms of number of users. It’s easy to use; you can easily separate business and personal ‘friends’ and it’s a wonderfully simple way to connect with your target audience on a regular basis and in a meaningful way. However, in order to take advantage of all that Facebook offers, you may want to consider setting up a fan page.
What Is a Facebook Fan Page?
A Facebook fan page enables you to drive traffic to a unique place separate from your profile page. It enables you to post all of the information about your business including updates, promotions and events, links to your website and even content. In fact, some people are foregoing a website all together and using a Facebook fan page as their primary business tool to represent them online. This isn’t necessarily a good idea because Facebook changes their rules often and if your fan page is your only online page then you may run into challenges in the future. However, as a supplemental marketing tool a Facebook fan page is an excellent way to build and grow your audience. It allows you to customize it however you choose. You can add photos, discussion forums, micro-blogging, videos, events and a whole host of features and tools. You have access to the more than 300 million Facebook members.
The “Fan” page means you gather fans rather than friends and this separation means you can send messages to your fans without updating your personal profile. It enables you the unique ability to separate personal and professional on Facebook – a feature many business owners are finding is very necessary. A fan page enables you as a business owner to hold serious business discussions with interested, and qualified, prospects. It helps you build a community around your business, a vital tool to growing an online business. Facebook fan pages also provide business owners with analytics and data so you can test and track responses and make educated decisions about your business and your social networking strategies. And because Facebook has an API they've released to developers, there are a large number of people working on ways to expand the features, tools and usability of a fan page.
Facebook fan pages offer business owners a unique opportunity to create a web presence on a social networking website - a social networking website that’s presently the biggest in the world in terms of subscribers. It just makes good sense to tap into this market to build and grow your online business.
Deanna Maio, known professionally as the Savvy Strategies Coach, teaches small business owners and solo-preneurs how to build relationships, leverage systems, and build lasting prosperity. Would you like to learn more simple ways entrepreneurs can grow and manage their businesses and create more money, time, and freedom in their businesses? Visit http://www.savvygals.com to get her free buisiness building and her fr.ee audio "5 Savvy Steps to Creating a Free Powerful Support Team."
Why would people stop following you on Twitter? There are a number of reasons. Eliminating those mistakes is the key to being profitable on this site. Here are five mistakes you could be making that would cause people to stop following you:
Mistake #1) Overselling
Often times businesses will just send out one sales tweet after another. The whole objective of each one is to make money. People can smell that a mile away. Some businesses even have an automatic message when someone subscribes, instantly asking them to buy something. This will repel visitors faster than anything else. Constant selling is one of the biggest mistakes business owners make. Obviously you want to make money. However, you won’t be profitable if you do nothing but sell. All your recent posts are on display. So if your last twenty have been blatant sales messages, people will stay far away from you. Instead, you want to focus on creating value. Sure, every now and then you can include a tweet asking people to buy something. Just avoid doing it too often.
Mistake #2) Being negative
Some people claim that you want to sell based on fear. While it is true that this can be effective, it’s far more productive to focus on positive stories. Inspiring people to rise above their circumstances is the best way to sell. Therefore, the more positive you can be, the better. Nobody likes to be around someone who’s negative. If you notice, the people who tend to have many friends are the most enthusiastic and positive people. The same principle goes for Twitter.
Mistake #3) Offending others
If you don’t re-tweet someone, and instead use their message as your own, you will offend others. They will then stop following you. Proper etiquette is very important.
Mistake #4) Being boring
Twitter is all about community. That’s what it was designed to be. It wasn’t started for the sake of helping businesses. Therefore, when you recognize that and get involved in the conversation, people will be more inclined to follow you. When you show no interest in others, people will stop following you.
Mistake #5) Not including personality
People don’t buy from businesses, they buy from people. Therefore, telling interesting stories about your life is key. If you can tie it into your niche, all the better. The more personality you have, the more money you will make.
The bottom line is, when used the right way, Twitter can be very productive. Avoid these five mistakes, and you will be well on your way to profiting from the site.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
If you’re like the hundreds of thousands of online business owners, you are using the social networking tool, Twitter, to connect with your prospects in a new and beneficial way. However, like many business owners you’re busy and social networking can consume a large amount of your precious time. This is where TweetLater can come in handy.
What Is TweetLater?
TweetLater is a social networking tool that helps you manage your social networking time. It’s now known as SocialOomph. It enables you to:
- Schedule your tweets in advance
- Send welcome messages to new users who follow you
- Draft tweets offline
- Automate the following process
- Create a status feed
- Manage unlimited Twitter accounts from one location
- Track keywords on Twitter
- Add your blog RSS feed for automatic updates
- Shorten URLs
- Track clicks
And unlike many other Twitter applications, there is a free option and a paid “professional” option that costs $29.97 a month. There’s a free trial period if you’re interested in checking out the professional option.
So How Does Tweet Later Benefit You?
Because you’re able to create offline drafts, reuse them and schedule your Tweets in advance, you’re really able to create a Twitter campaign. You can plan your tweets in advance and lead followers to the best posts, content, and promotions you have to offer. TweetLater also helps you plan your conversations with other Twitter followers so you can craft well thought out and productive conversations, rather than spur of the moment tweets you may later regret. And TweetLater/SocialOomph enables you to track not only popular keywords, but also your click-through rate so you can fine-tune your Twitter campaign for the best results.
Finally, because time management is an issue for just about everyone, TweetLater enables you to spend a focused amount of time on your Twitter marketing strategy, say 30 minutes a day or 60 minutes once a week, and then set it aside without worrying that you’re missing something or not participating enough. It helps you make sure you focus on the right things at the right time because you’re able to manage your Twitter profiles at any time of the day or night.
Twitter is a growing social networking tool, and business owners can take advantage of its popularity to connect with their prospects and build a larger awareness and a larger audience. Yet, people can spend hours of their valuable time on Twitter thus losing time they could be spending on more profitable tasks. TweetLater/SocialOomph solves this problem. If you’re a Twitterer, consider checking out this valuable time management tool today.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Many people already know that Twitter is a great way to keep up to date on everything that’s going on in the world around you. Whether it’s finding out about the latest product releases or just knowing what your friends are up to, Twitter is a quick, easy and popular way to keep an eye on the pulse of the modern world. But it’s also a great way to get traffic to your website. More and more people are expanding their numbers using Twitter and so can you - you just have to know how to do it. If you’ve never used Twitter, it’s pretty simple. It takes about a minute to create an account, then you can type in short messages (less than 140 characters) and they’re sent to everyone who has chosen to be one of your “followers”. You can also follow people you’re interested in and get updated whenever they make a post. These are a few reasons Twitter is a great tool for getting traffic.
It’s easy
Pretty much anyone who can use a computer can use it. And we all know that the less work people have to do to use something, the more likely they’re going to be to use it.
It’s accessible
People can use Twitter from their computer, phone, or pda. That means they’re always checking it and always getting updates. It becomes a part of their life. And if they follow you, that makes you a part of their life too.
It’s Popular
Millions of people are already using Twitter, and thousands of new users join each day. So you can transfer networks over from other sites, or your email list, and watch your followers grow from there. The first step to increasing your traffic is to simply gain followers on. If you’re tweeting and no one is listening, it’s not really going to do you or your website any good. The easiest way is to bring along your network from other sources, like your business contacts, email list, message boards, or even other social networks. If you don’t have anyone to add, or you want to expand, simply start following others in your field. Many will follow you in return, and if you use your tweets properly, the word will get out. Once you have followers, there are many strategic ways to use your tweets wisely. Don’t just talk about anything.
Keeping up relationships
Whether it be clients, potential clients, or business contacts, Twitter can help you update your followers, and following them can help keep you updated. This makes them feel more connected with you and gives you a better relationship. You can even take it a step further and follow-up on their tweets through other communication lines. And remember, happy customers means repeat customers and referrals.
Product release
If you have a decent number of followers, Twitter is a great way to get the word out about a new product, website, or service offer. You can also use it to build excitement before a new release.
Website changes
If something changes about your site, even something small like a new article, spread the word. This gets them to come back to your site, even if they’ve already been there.
Become a resource
If there are things going on that interest you and that might interest your followers, spread the word. They’ll be thankful that you shared valuable info with them and be more likely to pass on your name and pay attention to future tweets.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
You’ve probably been hearing about Twitter a lot lately. It has become the latest rage for keeping up to date on absolutely everything. While Twitter can be great for contacting friends or finding out about the latest gossip, it’s also an easy and effective way to build your business. Twitter is a social networking site, much like Facebook or Myspace. Twitter allows you to “tweet” from your computer, phone, or other mobile device. Posts must be short. This allows you to keep your followers updated on everything that’s going on with you. Followers can be friends, relatives, or, the most important for you, current and potential customers. To promote your business effectively with Twitter, you have to have followers. There’s really no point in tweeting if no one is reading it. Here are a few quick tips to gain followers:
Follow people, they’ll often reciprocate. Often it’s pretty easy to find someone in your field who you can follow. They may have a popular website, blog or newsletter and will post their Twitter ID (or you can search for them). Don’t stop there; Twitter allows you to not only find out what’s going on with them, but lets you see who they’re following and lets you become a follower as well. The beauty in this is that once someone sees that you’re following them, they’ll often follow you back. Just be sure not to follow too many people at first. Keep it close to the number of people that are following you. Often people will do the same thing you did. They’ll find people they like and know of and see who they’re following. So simply by getting a few people to follow you, you’ll often build up more followers without doing anything.
If you want word about you to spread on Twitter, you need to make your tweets count. Sure, you want to link to your website when you have updates, but you also want to give them a reason for listening to you. Has someone published an awesome new product? Posted a helpful blog post? Is there a big sale going on? Pass this info on. If people know you’ve got good info to pass on, they’ll become your follower, and then hopefully your customer. Remember to choose wisely. If you’re constantly tweeting, people might stop following you. Remind your current contacts that you’re on Twitter. Whether it’s a customer you do business with or someone you meet at a business seminar, pass on the fact that you’re on Twitter. When you tell them, you can also ask for their contact and become a follower yourself. This will remind them who you are and help them remember to follow you.
You might also want to take advantage of different software that works with Twitter. There are programs that automatically post tweets from your blogs, ones to keep you updated on the tweets of others, and countless others.
If used properly, Twitter can be a great way to build an audience and keep your relationship going with current contacts.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Are you looking for a great way to keep your customers and other business contacts up to date? Or keep up to date on them? Or do you just need a quick and easy way to keep up a personal relationship with your contacts over the internet? Well there’s a great new trend picking up called microblogging that may just save you time and even expand your customer base.
Microblogging is similar to regular blogging, but shorter and usually faster and more convenient. While you can access normal blogs through the internet on your cell phone, many microblogging sites will have applications that automatically update you on your phone. This makes it easier for you to reach your friends, family, and customers. Depending on the service you use, you may be able to microblog in forms other than text. Some sites will let you add video and audio as well, as long as it is smaller than a certain size. This makes it as effective as blogging, but a lot faster and more accessible for you and your contacts.
To microblog effectively, you need to have contacts who receive your posts. The easiest way to build your customer base and advertise a campaign is to use already existing networks to your advantage. A friend passes something along to three friends who pass it along to their three friends and so on, and eventually you’ve got a huge network of people to work with. The beauty of micro blogging is that these sources already have thousands of people who are all interconnected.
Microblogging can be used as a great way to promote your blog. You can add short comments, then direct them to the blog to hear the rest. This way, more people read what it’s about because they don’t really have to go out of their way to look at your blog. Plus, there is software available that will post the microblogs for you. That way, you get all the benefit without all the work.
If you don’t have a blog, you can still use microblogs to increase the traffic to your website as well. Any time you release a product or make an update, you can tell your contacts about it. This will keep them coming to your website over and over. Microblogging is a great way to keep in touch with business associates and customers without having to do all the work of emailing. You can communicate what you’re doing with them, and keep up and their lives and businesses, and it’s all quick and easy. You can also use microblogging as a way to establish yourself as an intelligent business person and a valuable asset in your field. You probably already do research on what’s going on with businesses in your field, whether it’s a new idea or an upcoming product release. Microblogs are a great way to pass along these tips, and an even better way to keep up on them yourself.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
At this point, most people have heard of social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other sites. They have been accepted as a great way to connect with friends and as a business networking platform. But if you want to use social networking sites to propel your business to the next level, your best bet is a lesser known site called LinkedIn. It’s a social networking site that is designed just for business-minded individuals like you who don’t want to be bothered with all the useless frills and apps that come with other networking sites.
Not only is LinkedIn preferable for business users because you don’t have to worry about all the junk, but you also don’t have to worry about all the people that are not relevant to your business. It may be a smaller site, but when it comes to your business contacts and clients, quality is far more important than quantity. Plus, if people are talking to you through LinkedIn, they’re more likely to think you’re a quality contact too.
If you’re starting a viral marketing campaign, LinkedIn can be just the ticket you need to get things going. The best viral products work on already existing networks. LinkedIn is a great network to start your campaign on, especially if your products serve people in business rather than the general public. LinkedIn can help get you noticed on search engines. These pages actually get pretty high SEO rankings, so taking advantage of that can put you at the top of search engines. When you sign up on LinkedIn, use a name based on your own name, or even keywords that pertain to your business. That way, if someone searches that term, your page will come up.
Find customers. If your clients are regular everyday people, then you might not have huge success using LinkedIn to find customers. But if you cater to people who are in business themselves, then this network is a great place to find new customers. Just check your contact’s networks for people that might be interested in your services and send them a message or a contact request. Just try not to compete with the contacts you’re finding them through; that’s likely to lose you more clients than you make.
Keep up customer relations. In today’s market, customer service is key, particularly if you do business online. If you don’t provide people with the kind of relationship they want, they can find ten other people who are willing to. LinkedIn is a great way to communicate with your customers and help keep them happy. If they’re happy, you’ll not only keep their business, but they may just recommend it to their friends and business associates.
When using social networks to promote your business, it helps to only use one or two instead of spreading yourself too thin. If you only pick one, LinkedIn is a great choice.
At this point, most people have heard of social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other sites. They have been accepted as a great way to connect with friends and as a business networking platform. But if you want to use social networking sites to propel your business to the next level, your best bet is a lesser known site called LinkedIn. It’s a social networking site that is designed just for business-minded individuals like you who don’t want to be bothered with all the useless frills and apps that come with other networking sites.
Taking Care of Business
Not only is LinkedIn preferable for business users because you don’t have to worry about all the junk, but you also don’t have to worry about all the people that are not relevant to your business. It may be a smaller site, but when it comes to your business contacts and clients, quality is far more important than quantity. Plus, if people are talking to you through LinkedIn, they’re more likely to think you’re a quality contact too. If you’re starting a viral marketing campaign, LinkedIn can be just the ticket you need to get things going. The best viral products work on already existing networks. LinkedIn is a great network to start your campaign on, especially if your products serve people in business rather than the general public.
Search Engine Happiness
LinkedIn can help get you noticed on search engines. These pages actually get pretty high SEO rankings, so taking advantage of that can put you at the top of search engines. When you sign up on LinkedIn, use a name based on your own name, or even keywords that pertain to your business. That way, if someone searches that term, your page will come up.
Find Customers
If your clients are regular everyday people, then you might not have huge success using LinkedIn to find customers. But if you cater to people who are in business themselves, then this network is a great place to find new customers. Just check your contact’s networks for people that might be interested in your services and send them a message or a contact request. Just try not to compete with the contacts you’re finding them through; that’s likely to lose you more clients than you make.
Manage Customer Relationships
In today’s market, customer service is key, particularly if you do business online. If you don’t provide people with the kind of relationship they want, they can find ten other people who are willing to. LinkedIn is a great way to communicate with your customers and help keep them happy. If they’re happy, you’ll not only keep their business, but they may just recommend it to their friends and business associates.
Promoting Your Business
When using social networks to promote your business, it helps to only use one or two instead of spreading yourself too thin. If you only pick one, LinkedIn is a great choice.
Deanna Maio, Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to attract more clients, make more sales, stop wasting time, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Being able to connect online with your target market is a powerful marketing strategy. Using the internet as a way to reach your customers is the tactic with the shortest history, but it is a growing industry with an amazing amount of promise. Recently, Pepsi pulled out of Superbowl Sunday and opted instead to spend its money on social media advertising. However, simply writing a blog or creating a facebook status update for your business doesn’t necessarily mean you're going to be able to really reach your audience. So, instead of wasting time and resources, focus your efforts by creating an online presence that is genuine.
Step One: Determine where your patrons hang out
What websites do they visit? What magazines are they buying? What gender are they? What age range, income status or household size are your preferred customers? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself help pinpoint your clients’ likes and dislikes. Creating an online presence is no longer just about creating a “cool” website. It’s about creating a relationship that is sincere and lasting. This sort of relationship, like any relationship, takes time but is well worth the effort.
As you stare at a blank computer screen, these questions can seem daunting, but have no fear. There are many free resources available to help you. One easy way to keep your ear to ground is to read blogs. There is a blog on just about every topic under the sun. Analyze your audience by determining what blogs they frequent and then search for advertising guidelines. What verbiage is the most effective? Do they use stories to connect to the audience? What online contests or surveys seem to have the most "curb appeal" to readers? It is important to find a blog that:
- Speaks on a relevant topic
- Has a fair amount of readers
- Doesn’t have too many competing ads
Social Networking Sites
Social media has become an unstoppable force in our personal and professional lives. Many of us have facebook sites, have "tweeted" and established connections through Linkdn. If any of this sounds unfamiliar, then start there. These social media platforms are free to use and extremely user-friendly. Creating profiles on these sites will aid you tremendously in creating a greater presence online. This will allow your customers to connect with you in a more personal way, while still promoting your business, product or services. You can post links from your facebook profile to your business profile or website. The link below will show you how to create links, import video and transform your facebook presence for your business use.
http://mashable.com/2009/09/18/facebook-newsroom/
Linkedn is an amazing networking resource and Twitter allows you to share resources, stories and establish a more tangible presence because of its informal nature.
Once you've exhausted your free resources, and have a more concrete idea of "how" to relate to your customers, you should research different websites to link to. By creating links to your website, you’re creating new veins that lead customers to your business. You should only create links to websites that will give your website greater credibility. For instance, you can join your local Better Business Bureau and create a link from their website to yours. That is just one idea but there are myriad of different techniques that will increase traffic on your site. The link listed below gives a thorough overview of "who" you should build links with:
www.seobook.com/archives/001792.shtml
Everyone uses search engines to find a business
These search engines capture the questions that your customers are asking. Google, Yahoo, MSN and a whole slew of other search engines offer many free ways to understand that data and learn how to capitalize on it. In order to receive that data from Google, you must have a Google account. Creating an account is free and super easy. Once you have an account, you can publish and register your site with Google. By registering your site, you are asking Google to include you in its index. Once your site is indexed, you will be more easily found by customers searching for information on your business products or services.
Enewsletters and email marketing messages are a great way to reach a targeted audience and make sure the name of your business is being splashed all over the internet. Enewsletters are cost effective, and recipients subscribed to them, are generally looking forward to receiving them and therefore more receptive to the content. Writing for your target audience is easier if you visit sites they visit, consider what they need, and write content that will appeal to them. For instance, if most of your clients are female business owners, write about the struggles they might face in the personal and professional arena. Post gender-specific resources on your website such as programs that offer funding for women business owners. If you offer relevant and interesting information on your website or through your ezine, you will be viewed as more credible. Your target audience will see you as an advocate for their needs and you will gain their trust. A consumer's trust is one of the most valuable things a business can earn.
While you want your business name mentioned as many time as it can be on the internet, maintaining your integrity is paramount. If you’re really stuck for ideas on how to create a greater online presence, research what your competition is doing. While you may not want to link to the same website, blog, or social networking site, you can at least use those ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
To create a more effective and larger presence online, track everything from the effectiveness of an article, to the color of the ad, the font, the keywords you've used in your website, the amount of friends you have on facebook, the number of people reading your "tweets" and so on. Data collection programs like Google analytics and basic split testing tactics often provide all the information you need to create and perfect the online ways you use to reach your target audience. Testing and tracking optimizes your efforts and helps you hone in on those messages which have the most influence. But only you can create the material that your readers will find genuine, sincere and trustworthy.
So be the speaker they are craving to hear and create an online presence that they want to hang out with. Do this through humor, sincerity and a genuine love for your customers.
Presented by: Deanna Maio, Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to attract more clients, make more sales, stop wasting time, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
