Twitter Training

People Do Business With People They Like and Trust…

One of the keys to building a successful business is having a solid network of customers and partners who know you, like you, and can wholeheartedly recommend you to others. Before the Internet, cultivating this type of network meant getting out there and becoming part of the local business community by volunteering, joining networking groups and (most importantly) talking face to face with your customers. When I began my career in public relations, more than a decade ago, a significant portion of my time was spent at my local Chamber of Commerce and other networking events.

Now, my virtual assistance clients are in three different time zones and several different countries. I do not have any clients in my hometown. The Internet has made this possible to operate an international business from anywhere. But, even if your business is virtual, you still need to get out there and meet people. The easiest way to meet lots of people who are interested in partnering with you is through Social Networking.

In the past few years, it has become easier to build personal relationships through the Internet. College students have known how to use the Internet to build relationships for at least five years. The business community is finally catching up and realizing the usefulness of viral social networking tools like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter that allow you to easily meet and create strong relationships with other people on the Internet.

Here are some reasons why you should consider implementing these strategies in your business:

- Access to your target audience.

Online networking provides unprecedented access to your ideal clients. You can learn a lot about your clients from the information that they share on their social networking profiles and by who else they are following. Also, it is easier to become someone’s friend on a social networking platform (because it is a two-way connection) than it is to get them to join your mailing list.

- Social Networking is instant/viral.

You can communicate instantly (Twitter) with your customers. It is also very easy to pass on small bits of information. Some very successful social marketers have used this to get huge increases of traffic to their websites in a very short amount of time.

- Ability To Build Your Tribe

This is the area where online networking both resembles and outshines traditional networking. Building your tribe (or a community of dedicated followers) is like building your network. But, at the same time, online networks allow your community to talk to each other – and that can be a very powerful thing.

- Increased attendance at events

Advertising your events within your social networks is a great way to increase your attendance. One of my clients has increased her preview teleseminar attendance by 25% just by posting an event invitation on Facebook.

- Getting and Giving Help

The online community is very helpful. You can get (and more importantly) give instant answers to questions.

- Managing Reputation online

Participating in the social networking community is a great way to create a positive reputation online. You will come off as being approachable and in the know about technology.

Meredith Eisenberg
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/social-networking-why-bother-714170.html

I want to send a picture to twitter using Twitpic(Or any other site like that) but I beleive that you have to have internet to do so. I was wondering if there is a way to do it without internet.

Nope. Unless there’s a service where you MMS a picture and they upload it for you there isn’t. I’m not aware of any.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of promoting a website via search engines with the aim of achieving top of first page rankings. This is the all important place to be for your business as high search engine rankings will generate more traffic to your website which in turn will generate more revenue.

There really is no point in having a great looking site if it is invisible to those searching the internet looking for your type of service or product. It is important that your website is listed prominently in Search Engine rankings.

So what exactly is SEO? SEO is part of what is called Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM involves on-page and off-page methods of promoting your website on the internet.

SEO specifically takes care of the on-page factors such as the research and analysis of keyword phrases, the optimisation of a website and submission to Search Engines.

Off-page factors include link building, domain name considerations, content-based marketing (via blogs and articles), online social marketing (via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.) and Pay Per Click campaigns such as Google Adwords.

It is often said that SEM is all smoke and mirrors. Far from it. SEM is a legitimate way of getting your site top of rankings however you must do your research. There are, as with most industries, some operators who use underhand and non-legitimate methods of marketing your website on the internet.

So, how do you find a legitimate SEM marketer? Here are some pointers.

- A good SEO marketer will insist on content changes to the website, and perhaps the structure of the site
- A good marketer will thoroughly research the keywords they are going to be targeting, making sure that the keywords or phrases are relevant to the people trying to find you They will provide you with regular ranking reports
- You will probably be charge an ongoing SEM maintenance fee. This is because the web is a growing, organic network, and web marketing is an ongoing process. It is definitely not a one-off exercise.
-A good SEO marketer should be able to provide client names & sites from a few years ago that you can look up online. If you are unsure, then feel free to contact the owners of the site for a reference.

SEM really is a powerful and effective way for businesses to generate more income and get ahead of their competitors online. It does involve an investment both in time and money but if carried out by experienced Search Engine marketers it will result in a return on investment that will increase as your website gains credibility and improves in popularity.

Suzanne Carter
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/search-engine-optimisation-what-exactly-is-it-1276271.html

You hear two things about social media — that is is a great way to make connections but also that it can be a tremendous waste of time. Both of these statements are true. The difference in your results will depend upon your preparation. If you don’t have a strong sense of your brand or a basic strategy behind your use of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, you can make a lot of friends but not see the results in your business.

You do not get sales directly from networking (online or offline). You can meet new people and get them to want to learn more about you. Your efforts to network for business will be in vain if you have not put some thought and effort into what happens once your new online acquaintances click onto your web page.

Here are five things that you can do before you start spending time on social networking sites to make your time spent more productive.

1. Have a Clearly Defined Target Audience

To be successful in marketing, you need to have a well-defined target audience. Networking online is a great way not only to connect with members and thought leaders of your target audience, but to learn about them. In order to effectively, use social marketing for research, you need to know who to connect with.

2. Have Something To Give.

Social networking (or any networking) is more about giving than receiving. Start finding interesting pages and resources to refer people to in your tweets and postings. You’ll quickly get a reputation for being an expert.

3. Have an Inviting Home to invite People to Visit.

Twitter and Facebook are places to get acquainted. Deep friendships bloom when people can get to know you better. On your profile, point people to an interesting and engaging website or blog that makes your new friends want to get to know you better and visit your blog often.

4. Create a Strong Personal Brand.

Know who you are and what makes you interesting. Use that brand on your blog, in your profile and in the subjects you choose to post about.

5. Know Your Next Steps.

When someone comes to your site to learn more — what’s next? Make sure that you have a funnel developed that gently and naturally leads people from getting to know you on social networking to becoming loyal clients.

Follow these five steps and you will not only improve your social networking results, you will improve your marketing in general because you will make it easier for people to learn more about you and to become your client.

Meredith Eisenberg
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/how-not-to-waste-your-time-with-social-networking-752310.html

As today more emphasis is put on SEM, so many social sites like facebook, twitter, linkedin etc are used for the purpose. So, my question is that how Facebook can be used for promoting our website. I mean what is the procedure to start the promotion on facebook???

I have found that the boat has left on the Social Network marketing. So many people are now doing this which is great but these sites don’t attract the targeted audience most of us are after. People go here to socialise not to be sold to.
Think of it you go out on the town one night and your in a pub ’socialising’ and some random guy comes over and starts trying to sell you a house. (this has happened to me once) Its not what you came to the pub for. and neither is been sold to on social network sites.

There are ways to market on these sites but it requires a light touch. What I have noticed happens a lot is you end up with hundreds of friends who are all marketing there stuff. This is great for seeing what other are doing but not helpful for selling.

I use facebook, twitter linkedin for three things a indexable and professional looking profile and a back DoFollow backlink (facebook and Linkedin). And to get my webpages, articles, videos indexed faster.

Well I made a twitter 2 wks ago or something like that. Ive just revisted it because I didnt know how it woked but now Im determined to find out. Add me if you like : http://twitter.com/JayBeBreezy
Sorry everyone for putting it in the wrong category. Im shocked that top contributors could be so rude though. Im aware that this is not the "LANGUAGE" section so to speak. Collect you little 2 points for answering this question you gluttonous bastard. Anyone who can sit at their computer all day and accumalate 70000pts+in less than a year must be a fat ass, low life. Thank you to all whom choose to answer this question respectfully.

Tweeting is all about recording what you are doing second by second…it eventually becomes an Obsession of you feeling the need that you need to record EVERYTHING like "O someone just rang my doorbell, better answer it" I have heard of a celebrity that had such an obsession over her twitter account that she had accidently burned her hand and before she even got ice she told her followers that she burned it. Twitter in my opinion is kinda sad but i have one so i shouldn’t be talking lol.

Entrepreneurs today are struggling. A few are earning but the greater majority of people are not able to earn enough to sustain themselves in business

Yes the economy is damp but business stimulates the economy. So the need for entrepreneurs is great

Today I see an incredible interest in business and more are taking the plunge headlong into entrepreneurship. Commendable & I applaud you

However, the statistics of entrepreneurs making money is not on the rise. In fact, the numbers are staggering

Now, being in business and staying in business does call for some overhead dollars. Even the basics – maintaining a website, small advertisements etc. The struggle is, entrepreneurs without a foundation in business or no hands on real marketing plan are destined to go around in circles for years

So many get ensnared in all the gimmicks online and set themselves back many years

Winning in business hinges on solid business principles, a decision to win, robust skill set and a kick butt marketing, tactical plan of action – add daily support to reduce the window of errors

There’s a huge difference between spoon feeding and giving people the right tools, skill set and game plan to go win in business

Most do not have a business background nor do they understand the changing face of marketing online and offline

But as entrepreneurs today, if you don’t snap out of it, and begin separating fact from fiction on the internet and take responsibility for your future and business you are in for a bitter dose of reality – a lot of effort, no progress, no money and not too much further from where you started

The dawn of a new era is here, listen to the call and move with a sense of urgency and get the answers – it’s your time!

(This is for you if you are a small business owner, mlm marketer, internet marketer, entrepreneur, work from home, earn from home, direct marketing entrepreneur)

Nadira
180DaysToGreatness Creator & Coach
www.180DaysToGreatness.com
Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/nadirahaniff
Email: coach@nadirahaniff.com

Nadira Haniff
http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/entrepreneurs-must-make-money-718388.html

There are many ways to increase the traffic you receive to your site. Try as many as you can reasonably manage. Some are tried and true and some you will create on your own as time goes by. Always be truthful and giving of yourself and you will receive traffic in return.

Articles, of course, you will hear much about. You can provide free, quality content for others to learn from and share with others. When webmasters use your articles on their sites, your links are attached. You will receive backlinks which will bring you new traffic and help in your search rankings. Write and submit articles on a regular basis.

Posting on social sites will get your links and information out there to the public as well. There are many good ones. I use twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and my blog to make regular posts. I have had several people follow me on Twitter and a few on you tube and Facebook.

You can make regular posts in online communities as well. They can be message boards, e-mail discussion lists or chat rooms. Posting helpful answers on message boards can bring you loyal subscribers and customers.

Place some ads on free advertising sites. You can post on free classified ad sites, free for all site links sites, even free yellow page directories. Propose exchanging classified ads with other ezine publishers.

Freebies also can boost your traffic. People love to get things for free. Give away a free ebook, report, or maybe some software. If you give away some free software and have the rights, your visitor could give away the software also.

Trading links with other webmasters can be advantages to building customers with a built-in recommendation. Offer to place more ads if a webmaster has more traffic than you.

Traffic exchanges can be utilized to your advantage as well. Be consistent, build up your credits and add more advertisements. Most will allow you to build a down line, which will help build your credits. The more credits you build, the more ads you can run.

Starting an affiliate program will bring you plenty of traffic to your site.

Whichever method(s) you decide to use, be professional, helpful and giving of your time. It will come back to you.

Mark Robinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/how-to-increase-your-traffic-to-your-website-748843.html

On twitter I joined the twitter train, got loads of useless followers that I blocked. Ever since then the twitter train keeps advertising thru me twitting under my name. I need to unsubscribe!! Help!

just change your twitter password sweetie. that way they won’t be able to access your twitter account anymore

Ramp up your marketing

Companies ranging small and large are increasingly turning to outside blogs, viral videos and websites such as Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed and Digg — and their tens of millions of users — to reach consumers. Instead of cringing at the idea of relinquishing control to social media outlets, smart executives realize that there is more benefit in joining the conversation than fighting it. Instead of controlling information about your brand, your social media strategy should be about engagement.

Advertising as we know it is expensive; social media is cheap. For this reason, the recession is bad news for traditional marketers, while the same environment is full of opportunities for social media marketers. Setting up a company blog or a Facebook page is significantly less expensive than traditional marketing. Even creating your own community web site can be significantly cheaper than traditional advertising campaigns.

Social media marketing is not without risk. While every company wants to generate buzz, online backlash can be vicious. Recently a Motrin commercial aimed at moms created quite a stir. You can view the ad on YouTube as did another 210,000 people. The ad makes the apparently condescending claim that carrying babies in a sling is a painful experience for moms. According to moms, the ad was wrong and they made it loud and clear through social media applications such as Twitter. Some moms found the Motrin ad outright offensive, and they were quite vocal about it. You can catch them on YouTube. Of course, the disaster doesn’t end there. It continues on a myriad of blogs, and carries on in a Facebook page dedicated to boycotting Motrin. The backlash ad on YouTube can be viewed.

What to do when your target rejects your ad? Turn to social media. Instead of rejecting the market reaction Johnson & Johnson could have used social media applications to learn about their market prior to creating and publishing the controversial ad. There could have been a Facebook page created to learn about young moms and pain. There could have been a blog inviting moms to provide video testimonials on YouTube. The lesson learned in this case is to use social media to learn about your market, or be prepared to be taught very quickly and painfully.

Reduce your expenses

Save time and money on travel and use LinkedIn to network. Instead of driving to the other end of town fighting your way through traffic use the largest business social network to build new connections and to nurture existing ones. Only attend your most valuable networking events, and transfer as much of your networking as you can to the web. LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook are some of the best social networking applications.

Reduce your legal fees through a fairly new social media site called Docstoc. It is a place to find and share professional documents such as contracts, confidentiality agreements, intellectual property documents and more. Docstoc is a social community resource that enables anyone to find and share professional documents. The site provides an opportunity for individuals and organizations to share their professional documents. Documents available on Docstoc can be easily searched, previewed and downloaded for free.

Decrease your recruiting costs as you hire your employees though Craigslist, which has quietly become one of the most visited websites in cyberspace. It offers a much cheaper way to recruit online, and your company can expect excellent response rates for your job posts.

Putting it all together

Are more companies turning to social media in this economy? They should if they want to improve their marketing efficiencies, enhance their customer service experience, or develop their research techniques. Social media allows companies to engage with the customers instead of shouting about their own wonderfulness. It offers ways to business to partner with the community in an effort to develop a better product. In the end everybody wins because both the company and the consumer end up with a better product.

Virtually all companies can benefit from using social media not just to create awareness, but also to become part of the conversation. Managing your corporate reputation is impossible without social media, and ignoring it can be outright devastating. Instead if fighting against it, embrace it as it rockets your business forward as it deepens your relationship with the only reason you are in business for, your customer.

George Meszaros
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/fighting-recession-with-social-media-part-2-701961.html