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Social Media is all the rage now days and will continue to grow and to become one of the main ways to brand yourself online. However, there is much confusion about how to do it properly. Here are seven ways you can succeed in branding yourself online with social media.

1. Create a Facebook Fan Page for yourself.

Many people do not understand the differences between a Facebook profile and a fan page. If you have a business then you must use a fan page to promote your business. You cannot register your business with a Facebook profile. Profiles must be under your real name. Fan pages can include videos, messages, and all kinds of branding and promotional materials. You can drive traffic to your fan page and encourage your customers, patrons and partners to be your fan. Fan pages also allow more personal branding for business owners than profiles.

2. Create a YouTube channel and upload videos promoting you, your business and services.

Video is very popular and offers you a way to connect with people that you cannot accomplish in any other way. Furthermore you can demonstrate you and your brand and how they are different with video. YouTube is also a very heavy traffic website and having a strong presence there can do wonders for your business.

3. Register your name on Twitter and tweet at least once a day.

Twitter usernames are very quickly becoming like domain names. Even if you are not planning on using Twitter heavily or if you have a Twitter account under another name or brand you really need to register your name on Twitter as well even if for no other reason than to maintain the integrity and consistency of your brand. Being active on Twitter will also provide you with more business, relationships and an online presence as well. Furthermore, you will generate more followers and interest by tweeting on a regular basis.

4. Create a Squidoo lensography all about you.

A Squidoo lensography is a lens created using your name as the Squidoo name and URL and includes information all about you and links to many or all of your other Squidoo lenses. Squidoo is also a very popular social media site and can work wonders for your online traffic.

5. Always use the same picture of you, logo and motto on all sites.

When creating an online brand with social media, consistency is crucial. People must see that you are the same person and brand on every site. It is also imperative that you use a picture of you and not of a logo, your dog, or something else. If necessary you can hire a branding professional to help you with this.

6. Pick 2-4 sites and use them regularly.

There are thousands of social media sites and the reality is that most people cannot keep track of and actively participate on more than 4. Each one will require a minimum of time in order to use it effectively and you cannot spread yourself too thin if you are going to be effective at establishing yourself with social networking.

7. Create a profile on Linkedin and get connected with as many people as possible.

Linkedin is one of the key sites you need to use to brand yourself. There are many business professionals there and you never know you can connect with and who you will find online. Present yourself in a professional manner and you cannot go wrong.

In short, branding yourself with social media does take some time but it can be done and in the future it will be crucial if you want to succeed not only online but also offline.

Twitter is technically speaking, a multi-platform blogging service. It was designed as a way to post short messages of 140 characters or less, to update your friends and network with your current “status”, i.e. “What am I doing right now?” or share insightful information, i.e. “Look at this great article.” Over the past year it has gained significant traction as a business tool with everybody from entrepreneurs, small business, and to larger companies like Dell and Comcast.

But has Twitter reached its peak in popularity and is the darling of social media waning? Naysayers have been predicting the demise of Twitter as early as 2007 but it is still around and generates a passionate following. But is Twitter’s business model sustainable?

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long….and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.” Blade Runner

Let’s look at a real life example of a twitter account that you could subscribe to: The National Geographic Society. Here is a sampling of their ‘twitters’ over a six hour period.

@NatGeoSociety
1. Pluto Has “Upside Down” Atmosphere - about 6 hours ago from twitterfeed
2. EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Rare Artifacts Return to Afghanistan - about 6 hours ago from twitterfeed
3. #Whale giveaway 5! How many calories per day does the average blue whale need for survival? Be the first to answer and win a prize about 8 hours ago from HootSuite
4. Our final giveaway is happening at 3P et. Be the first to answer and win Nat Geo prizes about 10 hours ago from HootSuite
5. Near Costa Rica, scientists study a stronghold of the blue #whale. Read the Nat Geo Magazine article - about 12 hours ago from HootSuite

The assumption is that because I have signed up for their Twitter account, I am interested in these topics. The “Pluto Has ‘Upside Down’ Atmosphere” article sounds interesting but is that enough to sustain my interest in their twitter feed. This is a lot of information that I need to digest and there is an assumption that I have the time and interest. In summary, there is no compelling reason for most people to use it, and many existing services — ranging from Instant Messenger to social networks — have overlapping functionality and value.

It is also rare that a communication medium maintains such popularity when it is controlled by a private entity. Opensource mediums that are successful have open standards and work in a distributed fashion with examples: newgroups, email, webpages, etc. Twitter’s growth as the defacto social communication medium is limited. However, its private ownership makes it very attractive to suitors; Facebook had expressed interest in purchasing them and the latest suitor is Google. They are less interested in the technology but desire to absorb Twitter’s bloated subscriber network.

Twitter’s business model will change for the sole reason that eventually the audience will move. It is the same reason we have abandoned malls for online shopping sites. Before that happens, Twitter will be acquired by another company. Any time you have a convergence of newness, mass popularity and little understanding you are liable to get an overrated, and very simple, technology. Twitter is not the first, and it will not be the last.

FYI: You can follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/webmarketers

Unless you have been trekking across the Sahara (without a mobile phone) for the last few months, you will almost certainly have come across the phenomenon that is Twitter. Every day the newspapers are full of stories about this latest social networking craze. Is it just that, or is there something genuinely important and groundbreaking about Twitter - and can there be a business opportunity?

Twitter seems to have really taken off in the UK when Stephen Fry talked about his interest in it on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross back in January. Many use it for following celebrities, but it has many applications.

I have been experimenting with Twitter myself over the last couple of weeks, and thought you might find it useful if I let you know a little about my experiences, particularly from a business perspective.

What is Twitter?Twitter allows users to have a profile and post status updates of up to 140 characters at a time. Anyone else can choose to follow them and see these tweets on their Twitter homepage (or in third party software) - along with those of everyone else that they follow. You can reply to anyone’s tweets (visible to anyone else) or send a direct message to anyone that is following you (visible only to them). You can also ‘retweet’ someone else’s tweet (similar to forwarding an email) to your followers. This tends to be how news spreads very quickly on Twitter.

That’s Twitter in a nutshell, One of its strengths is its simplicity. It’s not until you get into it that you realise the potential.

My experiences

I had kept hearing about Twitter and had been encouraged to sign up by Emily Coltman who I have worked with on our Pivot Table Videos. At first I couldn’t grasp the potential and didn’t sign up, but eventually did so at the end of January after hearing Stephen Fry talk about it (in the interview mentioned above).

Registering is very simple and there are no detailed profiles to complete, so you can be up and running in about 10 minutes. I still did very little with it for a couple of weeks but had picked up about 25 followers anyway. When I started looking at it properly this rapidly increased to over 150 within a week.

I have significantly increased its usefulness with two free pieces of software. Firstly, I have started using Twitterfeed to automatically tweet new blog posts once I post them.

Secondly, I am using Tweetdeck instead of the Twitter website to manage the incoming and outgoing tweets.

Tweetdeck allows you to view incoming tweets by groupings and to post tweets with shortened URLs, picture links, etc. all from one screen.

One of the most powerful uses I have found of Tweetdeck though, is the search facility. This allows you to set up an ongoing search of all tweets (whether or not you are currently following the tweeter) thereby allowing you to see comments from all over the world on your chosen subject.

I, for example, have a column looking at the term ‘pivot table’ or ‘pivot tables’ which shows me every tweet that uses these terms. Where I see someone struggling with pivot tables, if I have time available, I reply - offering to answer their questions. I also tweet a link to my free pivot table videos if I think it appropriate. I can also choose to follow these people to see how they get on. Very often they start following me if I have been helpful.

Conclusion

This facility alone allows anyone to determine what the world is saying about any particular subject at any one time. Think of the possibilities for market research, politics (many even claim that Twitter won the US election for Barrack Obama), or even simply communicating with people with similar interests.

In a matter of weeks, I have found that Twitter has allowed me to reach a far wider audience with this blog and ezine. It has generated online training sales, and looks like generating real world consultancy and training opportunities. It has also been a lot of fun.

I would recommend anyone register and take a look. You could start by following me at http://www.twitter.com/glenfeechan.

First question - What is social media optimization? And the second question - How do I achieve this? The benefits will be almost self explanatory after you find the answers to the first two questions.

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is whatever methods are used for generating public interest in your content. It does not matter what type of business you have, if there is no public interest in it, the business will fall flat.

What are the Available Methods?

There are several methods available to achieve the SMO that you need. Blogging is one. RSS feeds are another. The incorporation of useful tools such as images and videos are another way to achieve SMO. Online communities and their websites will be still another way of achieving the social media optimization you need.

This is why you need to hire a professional who knows the ins and outs of doing this for your business. The content you put up might be the best content around but without the public interest that can be generated by a professional, the public will never know this. SMO is the most important part of managing your online reputation and the strategies you will use if you want the best online presence available.

There are basically five rules for SMO that if adhered to will ensure you the best ways of getting the interest in your business that you need.

1. Increasing the ability to link to your business.

2. Create a way to make bookmarking and tagging your content simple.

3. Find other websites that will benefit from using your links.

4. Help your content get to the maximum number of people possible.

5. Using the ‘mashup’ approach is an exceptional way of getting your content noticed.

What are mashups, you may ask? This simplest way to explain this is when a professional company develops your website; they may take the data from two sources and join it to become a unified tool. The benefits of this are a business or website that will attract attention because it is so unique.

How Can I Do This?

Hire the best. Check out their reputation before you hire them so you know you are getting the best. Are people satisfied they are doing a good job? Do they have clients that you can check with for an unbiased review of their abilities to do what they advertise they can do?

It cannot be overemphasized enough when it comes to hiring a professional that they must know what they are doing. Because they will get you the most traffic and recognition that is available for your business. This is their ultimate responsibility and your online reputation as well as business depends upon it.

What Will a Professional Do for My Business?

Getting inbound links will be one of the first things a professional will do for your business. This happens somewhat on its own as word gets out about your business but it can be helped along rapidly by concentrating on a few simple things when it comes to content. It is not enough for your content to be good; it has to be extraordinarily good.

This is what makes the difference between the number one ranking on the search engines and page 10, 20 or 30. And you know what happens if you are not on the first page. People very rarely see your content. Maybe one in a million people will happen to click on your site.

If your content is a good and this means really good (not a repetition of everything else that is available) the professional can get your business social media optimization that will knock your socks off. This will save you thousands of dollars in advertising to no avail.

The professional social media optimization team knows how to do this. That is why they are the professionals. Results in the shortest amount of time possible are what you need. Instead of wasting months waiting for your website to get the interest it needs to survive, find the perfect SMO professional. Do not let your business die before it even has a chance. Hiring the right professional for the job will be the key to the business that survives, prospers and in turn makes money for you.

A large majority of internet searches begin with Google, and for good reason. Google’s search results are painstakingly filtered to find the best sources of information online. Whatever it is you are looking for, Google has a way of finding the most popular websites and trusted authorities on any field. Sometimes though, people are not looking for established authority - but rather the latest thing.

And this is where Twitter comes in. Fundamentally, Twitter is an open instant messaging platform. While it allows you to connect to your friends and acquaintances, you can also choose to make your conversations public. With people utilizing this media platform world wide, almost every topic is represented with discussions among those who are particularly interested in the subject.

Where the search comes in is that Twitter’s search function actually arranges results by reverse chronological order: the most recent comments show up at the top. So, for example, if you’re looking for some critique about a recently released movie, you won’t have to search through results for the official trailer that was released a few months ago. Or, you might even find someone who just got back from the movie and you can ask them some questions about it yourself. Any time you search Twitter, you’ll find people who are actively engaged in a delayed conversation about the exact keywords you’re looking for.

In the last few months, some major news stories have broken on Twitter. Since the service is also available with mobile phone and laptop computer applications, there are often people who are able to witness major events unfolding at the same time they’re publishing news to the internet. Some people in social media have been watching Twitter instead of the mainstream news when it comes to disasters, crimes, and even for covering cultural events & professional conferences.

Will Twitter come to totally dominate web searches? Probably not - there are a lot of times when authority and relevance are exactly what you hope to find. The revolutionary new development is in how we can find breaking news and people who share common interests. The new way of organizing information won’t eliminate the old one, it will simply provide an additional resource for the times we need to know the most recent word.

If you’re just starting out with Facebook marketing, you are probably thinking: “Do I need a Personal Profile if I am on Facebook to promote my business?” The short answer is an unequivocal “YES!” In fact, the personal profile is one of the most important components of Facebook Marketing. Everything ultimately comes back to that one spot, in one form or another. Here are some tips to get you started with your Personal Profile.

The Personal Profile has a “Wall and Tab” design making it easy to navigate between components. The goal of your Personal Profile is be engaging and energetic about your business or product without promotional overkill. Think of your Personal Profile as your business “warm call” to attract Friends who can become Fans. Your Public Profile (Pages) gives you the opportunity to convert Fans to customers through more direct promotion.

1. Register your account. Go to Facebook and fill-in the requested information and click the Sign-up button. After the security question, a confirmation email will be sent to you.

2. Confirmation email. Facebook will send a confirmation request to the email account that you supplied. Only one Personal Profile will be allowed for your email account. Click the provided link, and you will be sent to your new Personal Profile.

3. Edit your profile.

a. Basic. Update personal details about yourself including your sex, sexual orientation, relationship status, and the reason that you are on Facebook. Be honest here; you’re here to network. That’s what Facebook marketing is all about. Next, select your birthday, your hometown, region, state, and religious views. Any of your selections can be changed later.

b. Contact. This is your first opportunity to “soft sell” by displaying your URL for your company, blog, or Twitter address. Any other relevant contact information such as outside email address or telephone numbers should be displayed here.

c. Personal. Facebook users desire to know about you. What makes you different and stand out in complex world. Use lists, but keep them short enough to maintain interest.

• Where were you born?
• Where did you go to high school?
• Did you go to college? Where?
• Are you married or single?
• Do you have children? How many? What are their ages and gender?
• What cars do you love?
• What is your favorite movie?
• Who is your favorite actor/actress?
• What life experiences set you apart, or bonds you with, other users?
• Why did you get into this business?

d. Education. List your high school, prep school, college’s graduation dates. The Facebook community is built around similarities, and the schools that you attended are a major beacon for friends to find you. In many ways, they are the lifeblood of your Facebook marketing strategy.

e. Work. Where to you work? What is your job? How long have you been doing it? Use Work to show your commitment and passion to your company, brand, and product.

f. Image. Upload an upbeat photo for your profile picture. This photo is the image you project to the Facebook community.

4. Find Friends. Facebook has an intuitive mechanism to help you locate Friends based on your Profile. For example, if you graduated from West High in 2000, Facebook will list users who did the same. Facebook will even review some email accounts to find matches to Facebook users. You can upload your Outlook contacts. You can narrow your friend search by joining a regional network. Facebook allows you to change your regional network once every three months. Individual searches can also be performed by:

a. Name.

b. School.

c. Workplace.

5. Photos. Create an inviting presence by posting candid photos. Friends want to look through the window of Facebook at your life. Remember the importance of photos to the Facebook community, and update regularly.

6. Notes. Target Notes to synergize your presence and engage your Friends.

Creating a complete and compelling Personal Profile will greatly enhance your Facebook marketing efforts.

Things are becoming more interactive and very fast these days. The Twitter application is one of the big miracles that can turn the world as closer and as faster than ever before. The Twitter face value is really becoming bigger and brighter. A lot of people are now hooked on how twitter works and ideally there are many things to do in twitter. But if you are a newbie, it is not too late for you to learn Tweeting. It is exactly the same as social bookmarking with a mash up on instant texting with a mix of blogging. In short it is really FASCINATING. So HOW do you Twitter?

Fast facts on Twitter, it is a web application which is a part social networking and microblogging service. It allows users to send and read other member’s updates. It Is really a great update site because it is much faster and has a limited 140 text characters. ). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, or through applications such as TwitterMobile, Tweetie, Twinkle, Twitterrific, Feedalizr, Facebook, and Twidget, a widget application. User members are estimated to be 6 million at recent discovery.

Sounds cool but a lot of people are still not learning about its potential. Ok, just a reminder for folks who are very much into Twitter. Please don’t spam, because people will surely hate it and they don’t want to follow a person who spams. Please don’t be too much on the sense that you are over doing it. It is best to keep it 3 updates per hour. And most of all, don’t insult people.

Twitter and tweeting is really fun. People are very much into it that a lot of them are addicted on this simple application. Now, twitter can be use with the use of emails and even cell phones. So there are a lot of creative ways on how to tweet. You can sell your stuffs on twitter, you can even say I love you to you boyfriend, you can court a girl by tweeting, you can also support a presidential candidate, you can even make a lot of networking for your clients, and there are plenty of things to do in twitter.

It is predicted that there will be more and more people who will join the craze. So what is blogging under 140 characters? The answer lies on the satisfaction of every individual who manage to look closely on the twitter potential. On the web, there are many guidelines on how to twitter. Bear in mind that his web application is very useful to all of us. Its could be useful in our jobs, hobbies, updates, and many more.

Do you fog over when techies start talking their jargon? You know - words like “meta tag”, “keyword density”, “spiders”, “Google-bots.” Every industry has its lingo - and the social media marketing industry is no different.

Just imagine the jargon we use in the real estate industry:

You meet a client for the first time and you begin explaining how the whole real estate process works. You say,

“Well, first you must sign a buyer’s agreement. Then we should get you pre-approved for a mortgage. We’ll need to pull your credit report and get your FICO score. There are lots of different types of loans available these days - fixed rate, jumbo non-conforming, FHA loans, ARM’s… And once we find the right home, then we’ll submit an offer, call a home inspector, check out the home warranty…”

And on it goes…

No doubt, you feel as if you’ve done a great job for your new client in explaining everything they need to know. But to them, you’ve been speaking Greek - unless they speak Greek, of course, in which case maybe you’ve been speaking Mandarin. And then you wonder why they’re sitting there looking befuddled.

And so it is with social media for marketing.

Social media can be a terrific marketing tool for you - and it can be even more terrific if you learn some of the lingo. It will give you an insider’s edge and a huge marketing advantage. Understanding these words and applying them correctly to your social media sites will give you a leg up on your competition. And, even more importantly, you will become more friendly and likable to Google.

So, in fact, these strange sounding social media words have a high degree of relevancy to your business. They are relevant to your business because they are relevant to Google. And why is that important? Because once you start talking in “Google-speak”, Google will begin sending traffic to you. It becomes easier for your ideal prospect to find you.

The easiest way to start getting noticed by Google is to consistently put up new and relevant information - on your website, on your blog and on places like EzineArticles. However, if the content is not interesting to your prospect, then it will be difficult for them to find you. You will have to do all the heavy lifting of getting your business noticed instead of letting Google do the work.

So, let’s take an example: let’s assume you specialize in the downtown Chicago condo market. What you will want to do is begin posting articles about condos in downtown Chicago. This lets Google know that you are an authority on that subject and it will begin to send you traffic interested in that topic.

It is extremely important that you post content that relates to your keywords.

Although “keywords” may be a foreign language to you, you actually use them all the time! In fact, every time you search for something in Google, you are entering “keywords” to find what you are looking for.

One strategy you may want to use is to imagine yourself as your ideal prospect and ask, “What words would I use to search for my topic?”

But an even better strategy is to go to Google AdWords. You can access millions of dollars of research for free just by typing “AdWords” into the Google search box. Once there, Google will show you the keywords most frequently used - and even suggest alternates. And by the way, did I mention that it is FREE?

With your keywords in hand, you will want to be sure and sprinkle them liberally throughout all of your Internet marketing - not only in your articles and website, but even in your various profiles. So, for instance, when Facebook asks you for your favorite movie, you say “Condos in Downtown Chicago”. I know, I know, it’s weird. But your friends will love you anyway. And your prospects will have a much better chance of finding you.

So, when you include your keywords, what have you actually done? You’ve made it easy for Google to find your information and send traffic your way. The easier you make it for your ideal prospect to find you, the more likely they will. Makes sense, no? After all, you wouldn’t hold an open house and not tell anyone where it is, would you?

And the same concept applies to all these foreign words like “key phrases”, “meta tags”, “keyword density”, “incoming links” etc…

Yes, learning “Google-speak” can be a little challenging - but it’s SO worth the effort. Because once you master it, you will drive massive traffic to you - and it will be people that are specifically looking for what you have to offer!

Start out with a couple of social media sites; test them to see what works and then sit back and watch the wave of qualified prospects pour in!

Everyone Wants To Know The Secret…

The Newbies all want to know what the secret to succeeding in social media is. I’ll give you the straightest answer I can, and any top earner will agree with me, THERE IS NO SECRET!

In Fact, You are the secret.

You See, online people see the finished product of those who have been successful entrepreneurs online. What they have not seen is all of the BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS that went into the journey to that success.

People want to know what it takes, but the truth is, when you tell them, they don’t want to hear it.

They don’t want to hear that I’ve spent $10,000 on programs, systems and education. They dont want to hear that top earners usually don’t sleep much.

I love it when people tell me they need their 8 hours of sleep to function the next day. Bull. I went a whole week once with 2 hours of sleep. And I was not on drugs, I was after it. I had a goal and it came to fruition.

The secret to succeeding in social media is you have to be one step ahead of the guy behind you at all times. The competition is fierce and you need to be savvy with your time, your money and where you put them both.

Here is how I have always thought. “If I do what most people are not willing to do, I am going to live like most people will never live.” Now lets Reverse that Statement, for the 98%ers, “If You do what most people do, you will have what most people have.”

I think that one is a no brainer. So You have to ask yourself…Which side of the fence are you on? What is holding you back.

Tell me what you do with your money and who you spend your time with and I will tell you where you will be five years from now.

Social Media is not going anywhere, its here to stay and getting more advanced by the day. I have to admit, even I am having a hard time separating money making activities and studying the latest and greatest as it is coming out quick.

Stay Tuned for more so called “Secrets”

-The Maui Marketer
866-264-7080