Social Media Blogs to Check Out

Since the focus is on social media/marketing this month, I thought I should point out some of the blogs that I've been reading that are geared towards providing information, tips, and resources to help you boost your social media presence: Chris Brogan - Chris is a speaker and co-founder of PodCamp and pretty much knows every facet of internet communications. Whether it's videoblogging, podcasting, or blogging, Chris knows it all. I like what he says in this post, The Target Is Not the Weapon. "In social media, the tools aren’t the same thing as reaching a goal. If you’re a marketer looking to use these tools, then make the first goal to learn how the community moves, listen to its ebbs and flows, and then make the next goal to try starting conversations." I also like to read Brian Solis' PR 2.0. Brian is the owner of FutureWorks PR and offers a great deal of insight on the convergence of public relations and social media. Also, here's a great blog I discovered today: The Social Media Marketing Blog, written by Scott Monty If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources! Photo Credit: Oliver Widder

May Newsletter Focus: Social Media/Network Marketing

The May newsletter edition of Online Business Resources (free subscription) focuses on Social Media/Network Marketing. It's a topic that is growing in popularity across the internet and Twitter is sure feeling it because just about every blog I read this week was talking about Twitter! I invite you to join the Online Business Resources group and read the newsletter if you're a newbie in internet marketing and online business. Within the May newsletter you'll find links to a few free ebooks that cover social network marketing. For those of you who are "vets" when it comes to social media, you'll probably want to read Dan Schawbel's post, Claim Your Brand Name on Social Networks or Suffer. Dan uses Seth Godin as an example and offers some tips on what you can do to protect your brand online. Oh, and by the way, if you already have social networking profiles, I invite you to connect with me through any of the sites listed below... Lijit Search If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Using Twitter To Make Connections

When Twitter started a couple years ago, I really fought the urge to add yet another social networking site to my list of things to keep up with. Like Marshall Kirkpatrick said in his post How We Use Twitter for Journalism, I thought Twitter was the stupidest thing ever. I was wrong. When I wrote my last post about social networking sites, I had just started becoming more active with Twitter and was getting a feel of how things work. I've actually had an account for awhile, but completely forgot about it. However, now I can say that I am a big fan of Twitter and highly recommend it to anyone in business. I was so caught up in Twitter fever that I even wrote a Twitter Haiku to profess my love ;) The best way I can describe Twitter is: Instant messaging on crack - but, it's good crack ;) I also like to think of it as micro-blogging. I've been able to reconnect with people I've known before Twitter came into my life, like Jeanette Fisher and Rosa Say. I've also discovered other great bloggers who are connected to them. My original title for this post was, "How to Market Your Online Business on Twitter" - and yes, you can do that, but I think first and foremost it's about connecting with people. Start up a conversation. Really get to know people. Help people out by providing resources that will help them. You'll discover that when you provide value, people will take an interest in you and want to see what you're all about. Mari Smith has some great tips for Twitter beginners. I also really like this video: Twitter in Plain English. Update: Here are more great thoughts about Twitter and Business by Laura Spencer... Are you on Twitter? Let's connect! If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

How I Used Social Network Marketing To Build My Blog Empire

When it comes to online marketing there are many buzz words going around - two of which are "social media marketing" and "social network marketing". I learned from David Meerman Scott that there is a distinct difference in meaning between these two phrases. What I'd like to cover here is social network marketing which in the online world means internet marketing via communities or online portals. If you really think about it, social network marketing has been around for many, many years. It's really nothing new. As Mary Schmidt says,"Here’s the good news. You’re already doing it. Here’s the bad news. You’re already doing it." People would, and still do, attend networking functions and meet people in person. They walk around a room and go from person to person introducing themselves and handing out business cards. However, nowadays people are doing all of this online - except now all the networking is done from the comfort of their own homes...or the nearest internet cafe. Online Marketing Is Fun Again There are tons of places online where you can meet people while marketing your business at the same time. The best thing about doing this type of online marketing is that it's fun and it's free. I've gone the Pay-Per-Click route and tried out Google Adwords, but I think connecting with people on a more personal level creates loyal customers versus a one-time transaction from a Google Adwords lead who may not come back to your website - unless of course, you're very good at following-up with customers. When you join social networking communities, you're actively engaging with people whether it be making comments, sharing pictures, sharing information, voting, and all the other ways that you can communicate your thoughts and ideas. It's About Connecting With People You can leverage the power of online network communities to market your personal brand or business. It's no longer about finding places where your target market is hanging out because the truth of the matter is, they're everywhere online nowadays. And you never know, that online marketing guru you met in an online marketing forum may just know someone who needs what you have to offer - even if you are selling bird cages! That's why it's so important nowadays to connect with people and find out who they really are...as people...and not just "another lead". Social Networking Sites To Try Now For the past few years I've been using social networking sites as the only way to market my businesses. Here are a few that I like and recommend: MyBlogLog - The newest version of MyBlogLog allows you to follow what your friends are blogging about and it's all displayed on your main page. If your friends have their other social networking accounts linked up to it, you can also see what else they've been doing around the internet. I like MyBlogLog because I can quickly get a glance of stats for all of my blogs. Here's a video tutorial showing the basics of MyBlogLog... Facebook - This is probably the one site where I spend most of my time. I use this networking site to keep in touch with family and close friends, but I also use it to connect with business associates and customers as well. Here's a good video tutorial about Facebook for internet marketing... Stumbleupon - A great site to keep up with other people's favorite websites. You can also use it to submit your website and get more traffic. Stumbleupon has been instrumental in bringing a tremendous amount of traffic to my blogs. I also use it to discover websites on topics that I'm interested in. I like this video that explains the workings of Stumbleupon and how you can use it to market your business. YouTube - People love going to YouTube to watch videos and I love to use YouTube to market my blogs! You may or may not remember the success affirmations video I created awhile back. I posted that on YouTube and of course, included a link to this blog to get people to visit if they wanted to learn more about becoming more successful with their business. How have you used social network marketing to attract more customers to your business? I'd love to hear your thoughts... Related Posts: Online Marketing: The Real Way to Do It Blogging For Business: Two Lessons You Need To Know Some Things You May Not Know About Online Shoppers Top Photo Credit: Matthieu Mingasson If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

Some Things You May Not Know About Online Shoppers

If you're a member of the Linkshare network and were unable to attend the Linkshare 2008 Summit last week, you might want to check out Lisa Picarille's notes. Here are a couple statistics she shared that caught my attention: *High value customers (those spending $800+ online each year), are particularly diligent in their online research of specific products and services (when bought either online or offline). *87% of all online buyers visited multiple Websites before purchasing a product. The role of social media is growing among young online shoppers: *1% of online shoppers ages 18-24 are aided in their purchase decision process by social and community sites. *78% of these younger shoppers think that adding elements of social/community features would improve the sites they use. If you're an online business who targets high value customers, you may want to think about how you present products and services to potential customers. As a consumer in this category, I tend to visit several websites before I decide to purchase. I pay more attention to those websites or blogs that offer thorough and honest reviews. If you can present yourself as a trusted resource, you're more likely to attract repeat visitors who buy from you. Adding social networking features to your website adds more value to your business. Social features can include polls, customer ratings, forums, or even a MySpace page. Although these social and community sites don't really aid in young shoppers' purchase decisions, I would guess based on my own online shopping experience that older shoppers tend to rely on the opinions of the online community when making decisions. If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Discuss this post in the forum... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

5 Things An Internet Entrepreneur Must Do to Survive the Online Business World

"I feel I'm able to serve my customer by knowing what she or he wants. One of the ways I'm able to do this is through my website, and email: people give me great ideas, tell me what they want, what they don't want. It's really instrumental, and helps me stay in touch with people." --Kathy Ireland There are millions upon millions, if not billions, of websites and blogs out there on the internet these days. Needless to say that there is quite a bit of "noise" out there. Everyone is vying for attention and major corporations are beginning to realize the power of the internet - more so the power of blogs as marketing venues. This online business world can seem a little intimidating if you are a newbie. How do you make your way around this virtual world? How do you get your business noticed? More importantly, how do you survive once your online business is up and running? Through my experience of launching a myriad of websites, I've discovered exactly what an online internet entrepreneur must do to sustain longevity: 1. Find a mentor. I never fully realized the power of a mentor until recently. A mentor can help you get through those rough patches when you feel like it's time to just throw in the towel. A mentor keeps you motivated and we all need that once in awhile, believe me! Your mentor doesn't even have to be someone you personally know or have met. Just find someone who expresses the same values and business ethics that you do. Find someone who fuels your energy and makes you want to keep on going. 2. Network with like-minded people. Now, there's a right way and a wrong way to network. I've been reading all kinds of information and tips on social networking and one of the things people encourage you to do is visit other blogs and leave comments. Well, this is good advice, but how many times have you visited someone's blog, left a comment, and then left their blog never to return? I used to experience something similar to this when I attended local networking events. People would shake your hand, introduce themselves, hand over their card and then be gone forever. If you discover someone's blog that has a great deal of interesting things to say, then by all means leave comments on their blog (notice I said "comments" - that's plural!), subscribe to their RSS feed, become their friend on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., or offer to do a guest post on their blog - anything to show that you like what they have to offer. Meanwhile you're establishing your own credibility and letting people know that you are trustworthy and have an interest in helping others. 3. Keep up with the latest online communities. We're all social creatures, so let's face it, social networking websites are here to stay. I'm not saying that you have to become a member of every one of the social networking sites, but at least be aware of these online communities where people are going to share information. Some of these places could be where your target market is hanging out! 4. Learn how to write for the web. Blogs are becoming the content of choice when people come online to find information. Bottom line is, content is what people are drawn to and is the driving force of the internet, so it's important to have some decent writing skills and learn a little copywriting. If you're an internet entrepreneur, you want to sell things, right? How do you expect to sell anything if you don't know what to say? What makes people push that "Buy now" button? Of course, writing can be outsourced to someone more skilled than you are, but it's still good to know the basics, especially if you want to maintain a blog. Two of my favorite copywriting websites to visit for tips is Michel Fortin's blog and the Copyblogger blog. 5. Have patience. Have patience. Have patience. I can't stress this enough! An online business is just like having an offline business in terms of getting people to visit your website. You have to invest the time to market and build a website that is worth visiting. Just because the online business world moves at a fast pace, that doesn't mean that traffic will flood into your business right away! There's this big misconception - especially among those just starting out - that "if you build it they will come". I agree with John Chow in his post titled "If You Build It They Won't Come" when he says, "Nothing happens without traffic". Bonus tip: Just remember that building and maintaining an online business is a journey. If your intention is one of helping others succeed with your business, it's inevitable that you will succeed. The most important thing is that you have fun doing it! If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Subscribe to Online Business Resources!

The Social Networking Site the Gurus Don't Talk About

There's a social networking site that many of the gurus don't talk about and even I forgot about this site until today. 43things.com - a site where you list your top 43 goals and help others accomplish their goals. At the time I created my account over at 43things, I didn't really think about using this site as a way to market my business, but now that social networking sites have become the "craze", I think this would be a great place to connect with others who want to start an online business. At the same time you can jot down your own goals for your business and be reminded of them whenever you log onto the site. It's definitely a win-win all around. I don't exactly how many people are on 43things, but everyone there is looking for help with their goals. If you have a product that can help them, why not share your thoughts and expertise? Visit my goals page at 43things.com. I need to add 7 more goals to the list! I've also posted some goals over at my other blog, The Good Life. If you already have an account, let us know by leaving a comment here. Let's help each other accomplish our goals! If you liked this post, please consider making a donation... Buy at AllPosters.com

Going to the Next Level in Social Networking and Matchmaking

We all know that social networking is probably the biggest thing on the internet right now. Online communities are popping up left and right and if I didn’t already have too much on my plate, I would probably start my own website where people can hang out because it seems as if it would be a good money maker. For example, let’s take Person.com, a place where people can find a mate, make new friends or simply chat with other like-minded souls. This company has found a good niche because there aren’t too many places like this that let you upload your webcam so that you can see what another person is doing in real time. (No more sitting at the computer naked, ok!) It’s a bit addicting, I have to admit - watching some random person at their computer. A little weird, but addicting. Regardless, websites like Person.com is a perfect place for innocent entertainment. I wonder what’s next for “Web 2.0”. Imagine being able to travel through the computer to another country and actually meeting someone live and in person!