Motivated To Learn

I’m in Atlanta this weekend attending an Internet marketing event called Niche Affiliate Marketing Systems or NAMS.  Since social marketing is so popular these days, it’s been the topic of a number of the presentations.

One speaker talked about how he used to spend thousands of dollars on pay per click Google marketing for his websites. Now he uses Twitter, which is free, and has every bit as much success getting traffic to his sites. Not only traffic, but targeted, paying customers.

If you’d like to hear more about how social media can promote your business, they are offering a recording of a live panel that answered a number of marketing questions earlier today. Not only do they mention Twitter, but using Facebook and Youtube as well. If you’ve always wondered whether social marketing is something your business should be doing, check what these experts had to say by clicking here.

Technorati Tags: social marketing, twitter, facebook, youtube

While Twitter is my favourite social marketing tool, it works even better when coupled with Facebook. Not the personal Facebook site that you may share with your family and close friends. For your business, it’s best to create a Facebook Fan page that isn’t linked to any private Facebook account.

To accomplish that, go to the Facebook main page and at the bottom “Create a Page”.  Your Fan Page title should contain the keywords that potential customers are looking for when they search for your product or service. By using some of the additional Facebook apps, you can supply contact information, articles you’ve written, and a questions and answers page. Include an opt-in form to add people to a mailing list in return for some  valuable free information on your topic .

Once you’ve set up the Fan Page, it can be linked to your Twitter account. That way, you build a following on both social sites with minimal work on your part. Facebook and Twitter, along with your photo and links back to your website, provide a way for people to Know, Like, and Trust you – all crucial factors before a potential client spends their hard earned money.

Technorati Tags: Facebook Fan pages, social marketing, Twitter

I’m often asked “what is the point of Twitter? Why would it be useful for my business?”

My answer: I love Twitter! Yes, it can be a time waster, as can email or any part of the Internet. I try to limit myself to 2 or 3 times a day, no more than five minutes at a time. I like to check in to Twitter both morning and evening, because some of my Twitter friends are in other time zones.

My routine generally consists of scanning tweets (twitter comments) and reading any of interest. If I find an interesting comment that others might like to read, I click a button to retweet it and share. If I can add a helpful response to a comment, I do so.

Any tweets that mention me, or are addressed to me – publicly or privately, show up in separate folders so can be easily checked and answered if needed.

As people follow me, I look at a number of things before deciding to follow them back. Those include: a profile photo so I know who I’m interacting with, a general location, some background information that shows they share some of my interests, tweets written in English, without profanity, and not just sales pitches. These are my criteria, yours can be whatever you decide.

Twitter is fantastic for customer support. I purchased some software and had trouble using it. A support ticket to the company wasn’t answered as quickly as I needed, but I knew their spokesperson used Twitter. One tweet to them about the problem and within a half hour I was a super satisfied customer.

I use Twitter to arrange meetings with people as well. I could send mutiple emails and wait for each response, but since Twitter requires short messages, I can simply say “Such and Such Cafe on Main Street at 1 pm. tomorrow. Who can come?” In no time, I have my answers and everything has been arranged.

Often, I’ll see tweets asking for product or service recommendations, mentioning a job opening or educational opportunity. Contests are announced, movie and book reviews are discussed, people are genuine.

Know, Like, and Trust – these are the qualities people look for when dealing with others. And Twitter allows that interaction to become a reality, no matter where you live.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to join the many businesses that have found Twitter to be one of the best ways to interact with their customers and keep a pulse on their target market. If you’d like to follow me, I can be found at twitter.com/torontocarol. I look forward to getting to know you online.

Technorati Tags: using Twitter for business, Twitter use, customer service with Twitter

As marketers, we should always be looking for new ways to promote ourselves and our businesses, both online and off. Have you ever thought about recording your own radio show? People are interested in your expertise and experience and they want to hear about it.

Thanks to the Internet, broadcasting a radio show is no more difficult than dialing a phone number and talking to your guests, either live or as a recorded segment. Services such as Blog Talk Radio allow you to get your message out quickly and easily. Whether it’s a one time episode or a regular show, you’ll enjoy interacting with your market and promoting yourself and your company.

Added bonuses – your show can easily be placed on your website and added to Itunes so your fans can listen at their leisure, and you’ll get new traffic to your site as listeners find your show.

Have a listen to my first attempt at Internet radio and let us know when you try it yourself. You’ll wonder why you waited so long to start.

Technorati Tags: Blog Talk Radio, Internet radio, record a radio show

Just because you have an online presence doesn’t mean that people will easily find you. Besides having your URL on your business card and any other offline advertising, what else can you do?  Why not try some of these ways of driving traffic to your website or blog?

• Article marketing – write 400 to 700 word articles and submit them to article directories such as ezinearticles. Include a link to your site in the resource box at the end of the article. Other websites will take your content to use on their sites and all will be linking back to yours. Read more…