Archive for November, 2009
Using Twitter to Generate Blog Traffic
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Twitter is not just for fun but can also be used much like other social networking media to gain more traffic. In this case, you want to attract more blog traffic. Twitter can help with that.
Like other social networks, millions of people use Twitter. It is a micro-universe of potential visitors just waiting to be tapped. The question is how to get them to take a look at you.
First of all, sign up for an account. You can’t find the right people unless you get in the game. Don’t worry about creating a business account at this point. You are only concerned with connecting with people now.
Next, get involved. Read other people’s tweets, join as a follower for popular tweeters. You can use Twitter applications to track the tweets of others and also do keyword searches for interesting tweets. Comment on current tweets and get a feel for how it works and who everyone is following.
The best thing about Twitter is that it works in real time from your PC or MAC. You can ask questions to find out any type of information. If you are looking for followers (Twitter friends) interested in business relationships (if that is what your blog is about), pose the question in a tweet and wait for responses. You’ll be surprised what you hear back.
Posing questions is one way to find suitable traffic for your blog. You want more visitors but the kind of visitors who are likely to come back
and buy from you if you are selling a product. It is a research tool that returns immediate results.
More advice
There are a few things to observe. In your tweets, use keywords. It might be hard with so few characters, but you want to include searchable words that anyone will enter into a Twitter search engine to find your tweets.
Don’t be a spammer. If your tweets always include links to your blog or your work on other sites, people will get the idea that you are not there
to connect but just to fill the site with links. Use the site to find others with similar business interests or to pose interesting views and get feedback. You can link to your blog when appropriate but don’t overdo it or people will get that fishy feeling about you.
It takes time to build up a following of followers on Twitter just like any other social networking site. The plus with Twitter is that the results are more immediate that with other social sites. Find the targeted visitors you are after with a few questions and then join in the twittering to build a rapport that translates into more traffic.
Solopreneur.biz on Facebook
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Have you been to our Facebook Fan Page recently? I highly encourage you to go to www.facebook.com/solopreneurbiz right now and share your business insights with us. I would love to interact with you and have a meaningful discussion around creating the business of your dreams.
Recently we’ve talked about:
The Top 50 Marketing Blogs To Watch in 2010
Most Fortune 100 Companies Don’t Get Twitter
HOW to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business
Biz Tips for Entrepreneurs
and so much more!
I want to encourage you to take a few minutes to visit our discussion board. While you are on the discussion board, take a moment to introduce yourself and give your business a little shameless self promotion in “What’s Your Solopreneur Biz?“. Also, please feel free to start your own topics!
If you’re not already, go on over to our Facebook Fan Page and become a “fan” today! We would love to have your input in our discussions.
Last Session of “Social Media Made Easy” for the Year
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Join me as we wrap up 2009 and learn the most important tool for your business success in 2010….
It seems that there is nothing these days that causes more marketing uncertainty, confusion, and frustration than the business use of social media. We all hear the stories about wild business success on Twitter or Facebook and yet you find yourself struggling or not getting anywhere.
Don’t be one of the dozens of people every day who are abandoning their social media profiles in frustration and confusion. It’s like you are starving at a sumptuous Chinese buffet because you don’t know how to use chopsticks. This is a real shame because social media is the most powerful tool for business growth there has ever been. And like chopsticks, it’s not that hard when you know the tricks…
Social Media Made Easy is a four week class that will make sure you know what you need to succeed with social media. We’ll get you started right now in the most important locations and show you the strategies and tips you need for success. The webinar format will allow you to see exactly what works and what does not to enhance your reputation and build your business.
Here’s a recent comment about the class –
“I started Social Media Made Easy with zero understanding of the different sites and now I have a perspective on what will be most useful for my purposes. The class really taught me the depth of the social media tools and strategies for using them effectively from a business perspective. Janet is a really good instructor who covers a lot of information methodically and at a great pace for learning. I appreciated being able to go back and review the recordings to look again at the tools.”
Register here right now if you know that you need this help!
In Social Media Made Easy you’ll learn –
* How to use social media to position yourself as an expert and build your credibility.
* Secrets to networking and relationship building to make your use of social media more effective.
* Details for the best use of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and social bookmarking.
* How to take the exact steps which will increase your visibility quickly in order to positively impact your business.
* How to cut through the hype and confusion so your use of social media is focused and effective.
Social Media has helped rocket my business into more visibility, credibility and profitability than ever before. I want to make sure you have the right information and support to get your social media presence working for your business too. We’ll be meeting on four Mondays at 2:00pm ET starting on November 23rd. Each 90 minute session will demonstrate new ideas for using the social media sites successfully. Join me in this class as I guide you towards your own social media success.
This will be a small group learning situation so don’t delay in reserving your spot before they are gone. Here’s that link again to grab your seat for your four week path to comfort and ease with social media.
Here’s that link again - Register here.
Get a Deeper Relationship With Readers Using Newsletters
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you started your online business, you knew that you would have to have the traffic to make it a worthwhile venture. With your marketing plan, ideas were already recorded to help that become a reality. Here’s one you may not have thought about: newsletters. They bring the reader into the “know” and that could mean dollars and cents to you.
A business website gives visitors the basics of your operation. You want to use your resources to tell them about what you do and why they need to get involved with you. There is not always enough space to put columns or tidbits that would be important to readers but not necessarily part of your main marketing agenda.
Newsletters are designed not only to inform but also to let readers get to know you. There can be a column written by you that thanks them for being loyal readers and customers (leading them to buy if they haven’t already). You can share honest appreciation for what they do for you.
The Magic of Ezines and Newsletters
When you don’t feel as though “fun” things like contests and freebie offers belong on your website, however you want your readers to know about them, put them in a newsletter. Your online newsletter is also the perfect place for more in-depth items like affiliate program information and new products and services. There are several formats for online newsletters:
• One page layout that you email to subscribers
• Multiple page PDF format they can access through a link in email
• Layout in the form of a webpage
Usually, newsletters are sent to subscribers. These are readers who come to your site and opt-in for it by giving you their email address and name. Each month they get an email with your newsletter or link to the newsletter.
For longer newsletters with more information, you can create a PDF they can access, download, print and share with others. This way, your newsletter goes viral to people who know your readers.
Creating a “Subscriber Only” section on your site gives them access to newsletters that have video or animation that they won’t see if they had a PDF. This makes readers feel special that they have a place just for them on your site.
Your format is up to you. Whatever you feel that will engage your readers, use it. In the beginning they may not want a lot of flash since it could be viewed as trickery. Keep it simple until they ask for more.
Client Spotlight
Newsletters are a way to highlight those readers who want to be known. Maybe you have visitors who have joined your affiliate program or have opted in the previous month for the newsletter. Listing their names gives them a place of importance in your business.
What will you place in your newsletter? Creating one, to catch all the “tidbit” information that readers really love, helps them feel like a vital part of your enterprise.
LinkedIn and Facebook and Twitter, Oh My!
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I am getting lots of positive feedback about our recent focus on social media. It’s the most powerful new marketing tool in decades and you owe it to your business success to have an understanding of how it works. Here are three opportunities to help you do just that!
1. It’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty on social media.
Join me on Monday, November 16th at 2:00pm ET for the free teleseminar HOW to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business. On this call, we are going straight to the heart of the matter – with a focus on specific strategies to make you successful. You’ve heard the theory, now let’s look at action steps!
Register for the free call here:
www.solopreneur.biz/teleseminar
2. LinkedIn is the “premier networking site for professionals”.
I’ll be the special guest on a call for The Coaches Console on November 19th at 3:00pm ET to discuss tips for making the most of LinkedIn to promote a coaching business. The special call, Link In or Lose Out, will help you understand the site and ways to use it strategically. You’re invited to join us for the free call or just register to get the recording later.
Here’s where to register for Link In or Lose Out:
www.coachesconsole.com/thursat3/linked-in.html
3. The first class of Social Media Made Easy has wrapped up with rave reviews from the participants.
Join the next session of the class starting Monday, November 23rd at 2:00pm ET to get yourself started on the most important social media sites. Four weekly hands-on, interactive webinar sessions will walk you through getting your business presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more. This is the last time this class will be held in 2009 so don’t miss out.
Get the details of Social Media Made Easy and register now:
www.solopreneur.biz/easy
All these calls will be highly interactive so you can be sure to Learn what YOU need. Bring your problems, questions and a way to take notes. Chose one of the three options or join me on all of them. Your business will thank you!
Don’t forget to Mind Your Own Biz.
Warmly,
Janet
PS – Register now for the call(s) of your choice and then make sure to mark your calendar so you don’t miss it. Here are those registration links again:
HOW to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business:
www.solopreneur.biz/teleseminar
Link In or Lose Out:
www.coachesconsole.com/thursat3/linked-in.html
Social Media Made Easy:
www.solopreneur.biz/easy
Backlink Basics Explained
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It sounds like some place you go after dark that you shouldn’t go. But, backlinks are actually a good thing as far as getting noticed on the Internet. Keep reading and you’ll find out all about them and how they can be useful to you.
Backlink Basics
To put it in the simplest terms, backlinks are links from other websites and blogs back to your website. They increase your visibility on the web and also make the search engines really happy with you. It sounds easy, but getting links can take some time and effort.
Also, did we mention the spiders and bots? They work on behalf of the search engines. These little marvels crawl not just content but also inbound links (backlinks) to your website. So, you’d probably figure that you can go to every website you can and post a link back to your site, wouldn’t you? In the grand scheme of things, this is not always a good idea.
Here’s why. Those bots are smarter than you think. They even evaluate the types of backlinks you get. For instance, let’s say that you are just beginning and are trying to establish yourself. You go to other sites and ask to exchange links with them for free. Some are readily eager so you do it. As it turns out, these sites are offensive, plagiarize content and don’t know the first thing about keyword optimization.
Now, all of these things won’t be true at the same time but it goes to prove a point. A poorly kept website or even a troublemaking one can lower the quality of your backlinks and thus your favor with the search engines. What you want is backlinks that are of the same or preferably better quality as your site.
Quality Backlinks
How do you determine quality? One way is to look at their following. Do they have a lot of readers? Are their articles rated on the first page of search engine results? Does everyone know their name (just like “Cheers”)?
Keep your links within your chosen niche. While there may be some gardening websites with a high search engine ranking, linking here won’t do you any good if your website sells business coaching services to technology companies. The bots look at that too.
So, what criteria do you need to consider when approaching the subject of backlinks?
• Choose similar or better quality websites to use for your backlinks
• Choose websites and blogs with similar topics of interest as yours
Get the word out about your website. Use any resources you have available to you first and then go searching for other high-quality sites to bring you more traffic.
Become an Expert Networker
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You may know a lot about your business niche, but does anyone else know that? If not, it’s time to set yourself up as an expert.
Sometimes it really is who you know that counts, like when you’re trying to accomplish something and need help. Becoming an expert is that type of time. On the path towards expert status, you will need the help of others to reach the destination.
I know, you are not the type of person to shamelessly self promote. Don’t worry because there is no shame involved. To do any less than tell others about what you have worked hard to learn is selling yourself short. That’s the only shame. Even for introverted people, networking with others in the business world can only help. What makes it a bit easier is that both you and those you network with are after a common goal – increased profits.
Why Network?
Networking is important in business and on line networking is becoming very important. Making connections with others in the online world increases your visibility which matters when you want to get noticed. Who do you rub elbows with? Begin with someone with influence in your business area like a guru of sorts. Get to know them by hanging out where they hang out – on their blog, in their social networking groups and by attending events they host or are speaking at.
Networking mutually benefits both parties. While you are getting to know them, don’t forget to let them know who you are. When you comment on blogs, link those comments to your own blog and/or website. If you host a podcast or internet radio show, invite them to be a guest.
Other Ways to Network
Blogs and forums are not the only way that you can make a useful business connection to promote your expert business status. Join local and online
business associations. This is not in name only. Do your part and get involved so that others see your face, hear your voice and notice your work.
Your involvement in these professional organizations is a two-way street. Use the time to give but also to receive. Ask questions when you need to. Sharing business tips, tricks and secrets is a part of the perks.
Don’t neglect the social networking communities. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are a lot of fun for connecting with old friends, but they are also big forums for sharing business information. You can post new happenings on your website and links. You’ll be surprised who sees and takes advantage of the news. Invite all of your fellow organizational members as well as clients and other business associates to be your friends so they can view posts to your Wall.
Networking can be intimidating especially for business owners who feel they are not good at self-promotion. However once you get started, I’m sure you’ll notice the benefits. It’s effort that really pays off!
HOW to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business
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You hear the talk and you see references to social media everywhere…
Do you know HOW to use it effectively to grow your business?
My clients are overwhelmingly expressing confusion and frustration with trying to use Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn for business purposes.
If you are struggling with the best ways to use the most powerful new marketing tools in decades, then there is a solution.
Join me on Monday, November 16th at 2:00pm ET for the free teleseminar HOW to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business. On this call, we are going straight to the nitty gritty – to the heart of specific strategies to make you successful.
You’ve heard the theory, now let’s look at action steps such as -
- What social media sites work best for different purposes
- 7 tips for using LinkedIn to get more business
- 5 Facebook tools for business promotion
- Strategies for Twitter and how to keep it manageable
- And much more…
Register for the free call with this link.
I really hope you can join me live for this event and get started having success with social media. This will be a highly interactive call, so come with questions, problems and a way to take notes. If you can’t be on the call, be sure to register anyway so that after the call, we can send you the link to listen to the recording.
Again, here’s that registration link.
Why are Relationships with Readers Paramount?
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How do you build trust with others? You get to know them and find out what they are all about. It is easier to do that face to face, yes, but it can also be accomplished in cyberspace if you are willing to work at it. But, why do any of that anyway?
Building relationships with your readers, whether through your blog, your ezine or your social media efforts, is vital to your business. Remember that your goal is monetary benefit and for that you will need people to visit your site. But, visiting is not enough in and of itself.
Think about it in these terms. Let’s say you launch an incredible new product or service. You advertise everywhere that you can think of. In the first months of your launch, your unique visitors go up 100% (it’s possible!) AND the sales go through the roof.
In your bliss don’t forget that the journey towards one-time sales is a short trip. If you made five or six figures in each of those months, it still wouldn’t compensate for the next eight months of basement stats because none of those customers came back. That’s no way to run and grow a successful business enterprise.
Instead, strive for repeat visitors every month of the year. How do you do that? You build a relationship with each one of them. No, you don’t have to know them all by name, but you will want to pay attention and give them what they want to keep them coming back.
Readers are more than just people who come to hear what you have to say, they are looking for something. It could be your product but they won’t stay where they are not appreciated.
Here are a few reasons why reader relationships are so important to your site:
1. They have friends. You never know who is visiting and reading your site content. One thing that you do know is that they have a sphere of influence with someone. That sphere can be yours if they are satisfied with their relationship with you.
2. They have money. What started out as simply a visitor can be converted to a customer who uses your products or services if they trust you. Now you have the potential for repeat business.
3. They represent a portion of the population. Whatever their connections, they can be useful to you in building a better business. Online business owners can provide organic backlinks for you, bloggers can ask you to guest post for them, avid social bookmarkers can help lift you to expert status by linking to your content.
Grow Your Business With Twitter
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Twitter is a social networking site where you can meet up with friends and keep up with loved ones. But, you can also find others there who can help you in your business interests. You can use Twitter to establish a rapport with business owners like yourself and others who may end up working with or for you.
Everyone knows that you can have fun on Twitter but what about the business implications? Twitter has been touted as a way to keep in touch with your customers and staff without having to call a meeting. But, did you know that Twitter can help you recruit business for your company?
It can be hard finding just the right person to work with you and your business. This especially goes for freelancers who you communicate with over the telephone or through email but don’t see in the flesh. You’d like to get to know that person first or at least know that they came highly recommended.
Twitter can be used like an ad in the newspaper but only with more readers who will actually see the ad. Newspapers are great but when marketing to a large audience, you would do better marketing on a forum that gets noticed regularly. The hottest way to do that these days is Twitter.
First, find a niche Twitter community that meets your business needs. If you are looking for virtual assistants, copywriters, graphic designers or freelancers communicating with other business people could bring leads. They may know of someone or where to look. There could even be a community devoted to certain types of business professionals.
With Twitter it is easy to post questions in your tweets. Within these communities, ask if anyone is looking for freelance work. You can post your company name and website for them to find out more information about the position.
People are looking to connect on all levels and business is one of them. It is a good idea to have a separate business and personal account so tweeters can look at your business profile to learn about your business.
Twitter is a useful platform for finding experts to fill out your business needs. You can connect with business professionals who can offer leads on new staff. Also, you can post job opening tweets once you have gauged that there is interest from other tweeters.
