I am often asked about how to use Twitter effectively without spending a ton of time. While there are ways to automate some of your Twitter activity, an even better option is to participate strategically while you are there in order to get the maximum benefit in minimum time. The very first thing I advise my clients is to understand why you are even using Twitter. What is your strategy and what is your end goal? Are you trying to get more blog readers? Build your newsletter list? Find joint venture partners? Tweeting randomly and aimlessly isn't going to be very effective. Second, you'll want to spend a good amount of time interacting. There is nothing wrong with letting others know what's going on with you or your business. Just be sure to intersperse your tweets with some two-way conversation. This builds community and keeps things balanced and interesting. You don't want to be a "hit-and-run tweeter" who swoops in, tweets and leaves! Third, I tell people to follow the "10/1 rule"-- 10 non-promotional tweets to every 1 promotional one. You don't have to hit people over the head. I saw a good example of this recently where a pet accessories seller regularly tweeted a "bizarre animal fact of the day." It's a way of promoting indirectly while still providing your community with value and interesting (and memorable!) tidbits of info. Fourth, you want to find and follow people in your target market so that they are able to hear your message. Twellow.com and Wefollow.com are Twitter directories you can search by category. They're essentially the Yellow Pages of Twitter. If your business is local, a great way to find other local Twitter users is to use nearbytweets.com. You can use this site to search by both location and keyword. A lot of people like to use tools like this to set up "tweetups" which are basically local meetups of Twitter users in your area. These can be great for networking. Another technique if you are already following some people in your target market is using whoshouldifollow.com or mrtweet.com. Both of these sites recommend you new people to follow based on whom you are following already. Finally, don't let your fear that you have nothing interesting to say stop you from tweeting. People want transparency and authenticity. They want to connect with real people. You probably have a lot more interesting things to say than you give yourself credit for. If you are still stumped for what to tweet, here are some suggestions:
- Share links--some can be to your own stuff, but mostly link to others'
- Go to Twitthis.com and grab the bookmarklet to drag to your toolbar. This allows you to share content that's on any site outside of Twitter and post it to Twitter without even having to login
- Ask and answer questions--this often triggers conversation and helps you engage with others
- Use Twitpic.com to upload a picture, Utterli.com to post an audio tweet, or 12seconds.tv to post a video clip--these types of tweets add variety
- Re-tweet others, thank someone for re-tweeting you, be supportive, tell a joke, share a fact, offer a tip, comment on someone's twitter picture or background, congratulate someone, live-tweet an event, invite others to an upcoming event of your own, share an inspiring quote, solicit for guest bloggers, suggest someone to follow on #followfriday, post a poll...you get the idea.
The list is endless! At first glance, it may seem like this is a lot to do. In reality, you could implement these strategies a couple times a day or even just a couple times a week. It's the cumulative effect you're going for--which will pay off in the end! © 2009 Communicate Value. All Rights Reserved.Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com.
When we begin speaking in terms of marketing, invariably the question comes up, are my marketing efforts true marketing efforts or are some viewing them as spam?
Spam is about taking the choice away from someone and delivering them information about products and services without their permission. Spam comes in the way of unsolicited emails, junk mail and telemarketing.
Spam leaves a bad taste in our mouths and for good reason. We have not asked to be inundated with the information that we find floods our inboxes these days.
Marketing when done responsibly can be fun and witty. Commercials that reach us emotionally are effective marketing tools. People who care about their audience take the time to consider their message and how it will reach others.
On Twitter we each have an option as to who we will follow. And one might suggest it is that choice that gives others the right to “spam”. Wrong. Spam is irresponsible and annoying. More will tune out than tune in.
Take time to consider your message and how it will connect with your followers. Are you sharing a valuable service, product or resource? Do you take the time to share on a personal level as well as sharing on a business level? Have you established a relationship with your followers? Is the information you are providing timely and appropriate?
If you can answer these questions with a yes answer then your message can effectively be considered marketing rather than spam. Your followers will welcome your post rather than turn away from it. Share your tweet with others and in turn respond in kind to their own messages and tweets. After all, marketing is all about the relationship and spam is about nothing more than the bottom line.
Many of us have taken on the social networks as marketing tools for our businesses. And in doing so, we have decided to use Twitter. Now we have accounts, at which we stare blankly.
What should we be tweeting about?
We have 140 characters to work with and while that seems easy, it can prove more difficult to provide a valuable post in 140 characters or less. We want to engage our audience, but the question then becomes how.
What should you be sharing with your followers? What is it that they want to see?
They want great conversation. Give them a statement worth replying to. Reply in kind and open the lines of communication.
They want to get to know the person behind the tweets. Give them the opportunity to get to know you, your personality, as well as your company and services.
They want links to great sites, videos or information. If you find it relevant and useful, chances are someone else will appreciate the resource as well.
They want a tweet worthy of sharing with their own followers. Whether that comes in the form of a particularly humorous quip or a great article you have read, give them something they can retweet.
While you want to engage your followers, they want to engage you as well. Don’t be afraid to jump in and get involved yourself. Join in on the conversations, thank a fellow Twitterer for sharing a resource you found helpful. Retweet their posts as well.
In any good relationship there is balance, give and take. Don’t ask anything of your audience that you are unwilling to give yourself. If you are afraid to take your social networking to the next level, don’t expect that others will find you approachable and worthy of their time and effort.
Give them what they want and what you will get in turn will be invaluable to you and your business.
When it comes to one on one clients, I often see solo professionals either exhausted from working with them all the time--or frustrated and not making the money they want because they are focused on selling services or products at the highest price point they offer. If this sounds familiar, you may adore your clients and love helping them, but are feeling burnt out or stuck because one on one sessions are all you are offering. So what's the solution? Leveraging your time and talent by diversifying the ways you earn income in your business. One of the greatest things about running all or part of your business online is how easy it is to do this. Let's be honest, it's no fun when a few of your clients all quit in the same month and you're left scrambling to replace that income.Similarly, if you are finding prospects saying they can't afford what you offer, you still don't want to lose them completely. They've shown interest in you already--wouldn't it be great to still be able to help them at a price they are willing to pay?
Some marketers refer to this as the "funnel" system of marketing and it is really quite clever. Because not only does it allow you to still be able to make a sale, if you've provided them value at that lower price point, they are more likely to come back and buy from you repeatedly--and at higher prices. So what do these multiple streams look like and why are they considered leveraged? It is all about reaching more people without spending more of your time. Here are some specific examples: E-books: These are simple to create. Just PDF a Word document and you're good to go. This type of offering is usually the lowest priced item in the funnel (often between $17 and $47 depending on how comprehensive they are), and the best thing about it is that you write it once but sell it over and over. This is definitely a smart use of your time. Teleseminars: All you really need is a phone for this. There are plenty of free conference call services that also record the calls for you. Once you have a recording, you can also sell that as a product afterward or offer it as a bonus with another offering. Teleseminars can be done as a one-off call or a series of calls. Group coaching/training or e-coaching: We all have valuable knowledge we could teach and share with others. Believe that others would be very willing to pay to learn what it is you know! A great way to accomplish this is to train or teach a group of people all at the same time. This can be done by phone, interactively by webinar, or even by email. Membership sites: Sometimes referred to as continuity programs, these are private sites that people pay a fee, usually monthly, to be a part of. It's a way to provide useful, exclusive content to paying members and it's a win-win: they get valuable tips, lessons and strategies from an expert and you get paid consistently and by multiple members. Affiliate marketing: Have you used products you've loved and would be happy to rave to others about? Consider becoming an affiliate if a program for that product is offered. Essentially, because you are helping to spread the word for the creator of that product, they are giving you a percentage of the sales they make. Pretty easy! Next time you are stressed over a lack of clients or simply worn out from one on one appointments, commit to getting going on at least one of these streams. If you still need convincing, think about all the time it will help you free up to be with friends and family. After all, isn't that what it's all about? © 2009 Communicate Value. All Rights Reserved. Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com.
You've picked the domain, decided on the design and started posting great content that showcases your expertise. The hard work is over, right? Not exactly--after all, you need people to actually read that useful content that you're diligently cranking out. So how do you get those eyeballs to your site? There are literally hundreds of ways to drive traffic to your blog or website, but here I will highlight just a few of the ways to drive traffic and generate interest in what it is you have to offer. Write articles: Most of the article directories online are free to submit your articles to. They usually allow you to add a resource box at the end, which can include a blurb about you and your business and a link back to your site. Some of the directories I like to use include EZine Articles, Go Articles, Idea Marketers and Articles Base. Comment on other blogs: When you comment on other high-traffic blogs in your niche you not only get a link back to your own site, you're also boosting your site's visibility in front of the blog owner and the others leaving comments. Social media: Provide links to your latest posts on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and invite your friends and followers to leave their thoughts on the particular topic in the comments. You don't want to do this for every post as it might be viewed as spamming--but it's perfectly acceptable to occasionally encourage others to click through and read a post you feel particularly proud of. Also, be sure to include your site's URL in all of your profiles. Hold a contest: A great way to generate interest in your site is to hold a contest where the entries are comments left on your post. For example, you could give away someone else's product in exchange for writing a post about it and then publicize the contest through your social networks. Email signature: Most of us send numerous emails in any given day--capitalize on this by adding a link to your site in your signature line. Basic SEO: You don't need to be super-knowledgeable about search engine optimization to benefit from it. If you use the Wordpress blog platform, install the All in One SEO Pack plugin. This post gives some simple and easy to understand tips on SEO in general. Post in forums: Many online forums and message boards will allow you to use a short signature line at the end of your posts. You can include a link to your site here. Blog directories: A simple Google search will reveal that there are many blog directories online where you can list your site for free. These sites are important because they provide a way to get links to your site--which boosts your ranking in the search engines. A good list of some of the best directories is here. Guest post: Reach out to fellow bloggers in your niche and offer to guest post for them. Make sure you find out specifically what kind of topics they are looking for and that your audiences both compliment each other. Offer them a spot guest posting on your blog as well. Link to other blogs: It's a good idea to give "link love" to other bloggers by mentioning them in post once in awhile and providing a link to their site. Think of it as good blogging "karma."
Post valuable content regularly: I've saved what is probably the most important strategy for last. Many times, this is what makes the difference between blogs that succeed and those that fail. The above tips are effective for sure, but in the long run this is what will keep people coming back for more as well as draw new readers in. © 2009 Communicate Value. All Rights Reserved. Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com.
Writing an e-book is tough, the process is long and there are many decisions you have to make along the way.
But writing is just half the job. If you’re self-publishing, after you’re done writing, you have to promote and market it, too.
One of the best tools to use when working on a project as large as writing an e-book is a checklist. It helps you figure out what you should be doing, where you’re heading and how far along in the process you are.
Here’s a checklist I found, created by people who are experienced in e-book writing and marketing. They’ve allowed me to share it with you.
To download the checklist, click the following link:
http://blogenergizer.com/wpmain/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/download.php?id=129
By now, you know that being active on social media sites is a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog. But what happens once those people have arrived at your site?
You need to have a way to capture those prospects before they click away forever. Having good content for them to enjoy once they land there is only one part of the equation. You want to offer them a way to provide their email address so that you have permission to keep in touch and build an ongoing relationship with them.
Once you've captured their information, you then have a way to present any future events, offerings or opportunities to them. But first you've got to hook them in! Here are the keys to accomplishing that.
Have a sign-up form for them to input at least their first name and primary email address. If you are using an email marketing service such as AWeber, Constant Contact or any other which provides autoresponders, you can easily create what is known as an "opt-in box" form and copy the code directly onto your website. I personally use AWeber, and they provide instructions for creating the form as well as the HTML code.
Place the sign-up box in a prominent place. Studies have shown that one of the most effective places to put the box is in the upper right-hand corner of the page "above the fold." This simply means that you don't want to make the person have to scroll down to see your form. When they visit your site you want their eyes to be drawn immediately to it. A good idea is to have the box stand alone without any distracting images or text around it.
Make it very clear what visitors need to do. In this case, simpler is better. The less choices people are given, the more likely they are to sign up. Describe what it is they get for giving you their information, have a place for their name and email address, a blurb on your privacy policy and a submit button.
Give an incentive for signing up with you. These days, people are bombarded with information and offers online. You need to have a compelling reason for people to hand over their information. In exchange for doing so, give them some type of freebie--a special report, an e-course, an audio file or something else that will appeal to them. Keep in mind that this offering does not have to be incredibly comprehensive. You can still put together something of value without it taking you more than a couple of hours to create.
Offer the ability to sign up on every page of your site. Because you never know from which page people will enter your website or blog, be sure to place your form not only on the home page, but each page that makes up your site.
Now, when you drive all of that social media traffic that's hungry for more of what you offer, you have a way to continually keep in contact with them. They've decided to come and check you out--don't leave them without a clear next step!
© 2009 Communicate Value. All Rights Reserved.
Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelm of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com.
Are you confused about how to use FeedBurner to your advantage? Check out this 22 page report chocked full of tips as well as screenshots to help you.
Right click and Save as to download -> Beginner’s Guide to Using and Building Traffic with FeedBurner (123)
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