Using Social Media Sites Effectively – How To Use Twitter

Twitter is one of the most popular social media sites being used today by individuals and businesses. Often referred to as “micro-blogging” Twitter provides a platform for you to interact with your target market, network and create relationships that can boost your business. Here are a few ways that you can use Twitter effectively to promote your business:

1. Put your best foot forward. Create a twitter profile that represents you and your business well. Include your photo, links to your website and a strong bio in your profile. Also, consider creating a custom Twitter background. Twitter backgrounds can be obtained inexpensively and are a terrific way to compliment your branding efforts.

2. Strategically build your following. There are millions of people on Twitter and when you first get involved, the inclination is to follow and follow back everyone. However, doing so will dilute your efforts and fail to achieve the results you desire. For instance, if you make and sell organic baby food you might be tempted to follow every new Mom on Twitter.

If you do so, you’ll develop a huge list of followers quickly. But not everyone is interested in organic baby food. Your efforts would be better spent targeting Mom’s who tweet about organic foods, organic baby clothing and green living. For best results, concentrate your efforts networking with people who are interested in your product or working in your niche.

3. Treat your Twitter followers as you do your newsletter followers. Through various metrics, social media experts have shown that Twitter followers are as responsive (and sometimes more) as your newsletter subscribers. Having a sale? Tweet about it!

Offer your twitter followers a special coupon or bonus. Have a big announcement about your business? Share it with your Twitter followers. Not only are your followers interested, but they will retweet (RT) it and introduce you to potential new buyers and possible joint venture partners.

4. Promote your event. Twitter is a terrific way to tell your followers about an upcoming event that you are hosting. Whether it is a virtual event or a live event, Twitter is a wonderful way to spread the word. You can also use Twitter to share information and products you gather at events you attend. There are many mobile applications that you can purchase or get for free that makes Tweeting “on the go” very simple.

Are you ready to start tweeting? If you are new to Twitter, create an account, set up your profile and get involved. Twitter is highly interactive and it is completely acceptable to jump in on a conversation.

Just remember, don’t be a sleazy car salesman. Provide valuable information as well as updates about your business. And, if you are not new to Twitter, consider how you can incorporate some of the ideas we provided into your Twitter strategy.

There is a free download (no opt in required) on How to Use Twitter Effectively available over at How To Use Twitter

Social Media Sites and How to Use Them Effectively

Do you remember when businesses, small and large, focused lots of time and energy on advertising? When nearly all businesses placed an ad in the local Yellow Pages? Social media is the Yellow Pages on steroids! Through social media, you can market your business and services worldwide, educate consumers, receive feedback from customers, run special promotions, provide coupons to targeted audiences, and more. AND YOU CAN DO SO EASILY AND AFFORDABLY. The power of social media is almost limitless for small and large businesses.

There are dozens of social media sites all of which have unique features, users and possibilities for marketing your business. In this 10 day e-course, we will provide an overview of the top social media sites and ways that you can use each site to promote your business. The social media sites included are:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Digg
• StumbleUpon
• Squidoo
• Ning
• YouTube

Like any marketing or advertising campaign, it is important to start with the end in mind. So before you jump on board with any of the social media sites, we recommend that you spend time developing a social media strategy that will help you achieve your goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you get started:

1. Who is your target market? Which of the social media sites are they hanging out at?
2. What products and/or services do you want to promote?
3. How much time do you have to spend on social media marketing? Do you have staff that can assist you with your social media efforts?
4. What do you hope to accomplish through your social media efforts?

Social media marketing is a powerful tool for your business. You can reach people who you otherwise would have never known your services or products existed. By spending only minutes a day, you can influence your audience, build customer loyalty and increase sales and spend only the value of your time. Social media can boost your business in ways you never imagined!

In the next post, we’ll look at Twitter and how you can best use it to benefit your business. In the meantime, give some serious consideration to the questions asked above. Your answers will influence which social media platforms you choose, how you use them and what results you will achieve.

In the meantime if you want to look at Social Media Marketing Strategy in more detail then have a look at Social Media for Marketing

Charities Could Do Better On Twitter!

I am a great believer and supporter of charities making use of Twitter and other social media platforms to connect with potential supporters and their existing supporters.

There are many who have signed up to Twitter and are using it to promote local, regional, national and indeed international activity. From those I have talked to both online and offline who are using it the general consensus is that it it bringing real benefits.

As a supporter of charities and similar “do good” type organisations Twitter enables me to keep in touch with what they are doing. I can retweet their news and activity giving them an even wider audience and I can feel a real sense of connection with organisations that I support.

That last point is worth dwelling on. When I decide to follow a Charity on Twitter I am effectively telling them that I support them and am interested in demonstrating publically that I support them and want to have a connection with their work.

That is what makes me throw a question out to a number of charities that I have seen on Twitter who have missed out on the vital element of Twitter for them. It’s about creating connections and if you are not following people back on Twitter then actually it’s not only downright rude to your supporters but you are losing out on some potential great support.

So if you are a Charity on Twitter who someone follows – do them the courtesy of following them back! They are a supporter and you surely want to connect with your supporters?

Squidoo Step By Step Guide – Free Gift!

There are some awesome lensmasters on Squidoo as those of you who are already members there will know.

I have had the amazing good fortune to work with nine of them in the production of a completely Free Step By Step Guide to using Squidoo to promote your writing and generate sales for you.

The aim of the Squidoo Step by Step Guide is to help you in creating and promoting awesome lenses.

The Guidebook takes you through some simple tips presented in an easy to understand way that will enable you to create lenses which are optimised for the Search Engines, provide useful information to your readers and so much more!

Why not stop by the Squidoo Step by Step Guide lens to discover more. Just go to Squidoo Step by Step Guide

By the way do stop by my Christmas Card to you too!

Looking Forward to 2010

Over the past few months lots of challenges offline have kept me busy to put it mildly! However, it has also given me the opportunity to give some thought to how I want to move forward with my online activity. Taking time to think and focus on what you really want to do is always valuable and I have come to some conclusions how I will move forward in 2010!

1. I will be focusing on providing quality information in a number of niches as we have always done but in a few less than we have done in the past. I am going to focus on those areas that I have always been passionate about such as Green issues, Dogs, Gardening, Genealogy and a few others.

2. I must admit the increasing amount of nonsense and get rich quick information which has been pedalled by some people during these difficult times for many has dismayed me at times. My focus in 2010 will be on helping small businesses and coaches make the most of the opportunities that the internet provides.

3. Squidoo! Squidoo is an awesome opportunity for anyone whether they are looking to promote themselves and their activity or make some genuine money online. I will be working on my own Squidoo Lenses and also working with others to develop their use of this great resource.