Social Media Tips For Beginners - Part 1

Social media tips can be used by beginners very profitably and you can start your business with a company presence or profile on different, but suitable, social networking sites. There has been and will be a huge swing towards blogs and other free distribution platforms. There is an increasing trend towards getting every-day news and entertainment from bookmarked blogs or daily feeds straight to their inbox. There has been an increase in the trend in marketing techniques being used to engage customers and prospects.

There are many ways to increase your new media network. Latest new technologies are coming up every day to improve the working of these sites and it will also help to improve your business.

The new methods that are gaining popularity in using social media for improving business are:

• The explosion of eBooks
• Use the market strategy based on a blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
• Video marketing is becoming a top online marketing tool
• Mobile marketing will stake its claim as the medium for all social marketing sites

There is an increase in attracting new customers from social media outlets, like blogs and forums. These are more in number as compared to print and radio advertising programs. Building relationships by listening and getting back to customers is a key factor that divides average businesses from the grand ones. Nowadays, new media sites and tools are becoming one comprehensive collection and there are all types of sites and tools for each and every business. A With this in mind, a company's social media management system should have one platform from where all the sources can be managed.

If you are out to attract prospective customers, you owe it to yourself and the financial future of your business to learn everything you can about social media.

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Social Media Marketing Beginner's Quick Tip - Twitter Facebook

Using Social Media For Business - A Beginner's Guide

On the topic of social media applications, there seem to be three types of people: the super users, the avoiders, and the people that say, "I know I need to, but which ones and why?" Most business people probably fall into the last group: the ocean of people who lie between the early-adopter über-geeks and those mind-boggling creatures who only check their email once a week or so. Yes, there's potential there for good things to happen...if you're actively using the right applications.

The number of applications and communities is overwhelming. Many of the most popular ones, like MySpace and YouTube, aren't going to be all that helpful for professional interaction. That's not true for every industry, though, so it's worth asking around and seeing what your communities are using. If your colleagues, contacts, and customers are all using some other method of connecting, by all means go participate there. The point of this is for you to be able to make useful, meaningful connections and interact.

LinkedIn is a simple, useful tool for any professional. This is the business networking equivalent of being listed in the phone book. It doesn't require very much attention and can provide a great deal of benefit. Spending half an hour building your profile lets you put your CV out there, easily find your network of contacts, and be visible for the sort of notice you want to receive. If you want to do more, there are great community features. People can recommend you and your work. You can ask questions through LinkedIn Answers and get answers from people who actually know what they're talking about. If you need to hire someone or are looking for a job, it's an ideal place to put out feelers. You won't get clobbered with email from LinkedIn-just one summarizing any updates your contacts made during the week-so use your real, regular address to ensure that you don't miss out on something important.

If you want to add something more interactive, more personal, and a bit more relaxed, Facebook is your next step. The service has exploded in the business sector lately, which is probably due to all the people who used it in college and have moved into the workforce. It's a good way to connect with people in your industry through groups and keep on top of events of interest. It's more social and casual than LinkedIn, but less messy and far more professional than MySpace. You can talk about events and ideas through group and event pages, instantly notify people of changes to meet-up plans, and more. This has the added benefit of being useful in your personal life. If you don't already have a ton of friends on Facebook, you probably will soon enough.

Among the tech elite, Twitter is the place to be right now. Maybe you read about it after its usage during SXSW was all over the internet. Be warned that it's a love it or hate it thing and can be addictive. Twitter is a micro-blogging or micro-chat service where you can make posts of up to 140 characters. You can follow people and see their "tweets", they can follow you and see your "tweets". Only follow the people you really enjoy or benefit from-CEOs, the A-list bloggers, the professional contacts-and don't feel like you have to follow everyone who follows you. If you participate and have a similarly-minded network of people that follow you, Twitter can be a very powerful tool. What's even better is that you can ask questions and get answers from people who actually know. Need to know which spam filter for your blogging software is best? Ask your Twitter network. You can use the service through web, text messaging, and a host of widgets and services. While you can monitor tweets constantly, you can also take a break for a couple of weeks, come back, and not be behind or swimming in a sea of things that require your feedback.

If the reason you haven't tried any of this already is because you don't want to put your life online where everyone can see it, relax. You're in control of what you put up and how much information you give out. Be judicious in what you put on your profiles, but don't be afraid of having your life be a little bit public. The benefits of giving people a face to put with the name and a sense of who you are far outweigh any risks you are worried about. These services don't just build connections, but they do the important work of humanizing us in our online relationships. In the end, it's all about the relationship anyway, isn't it?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1116124

Social Signals For Beginners

Social signals play a pivotal part in any on-line marketing or ad campaign. In fact, they can help extend your brand name's online reach to mass audiences. They can also help establish brand credibility and awareness, while securing greater exposure across leading search engines. When it concerns SEO, strategic keyword positioning and convincing content is still essential. Social media integration, back-links, as well as advertising videos likewise help engage and bring in potential customers throughout vast digital networks. According to market professionals, nevertheless, social signals have been proven to increase Google rankings and customer patronage too. As a result, more websites are now tapping into this growing trend to accomplish desired outcomes.

In order to maximize the use of social signals, you have to first off understand exactly what they are. Social signals are basically votes of confidence. It can be equated into 'likes' as in Facebook, or 'tweets' for Twitter, or '+1' for Google as the case may be. Significant search engines like Google and Yahoo for example, take into careful consideration these 'votes' as they provide relevant outcomes for users online. As an example, you may 'like' a website and tweet about it, which in return raises its popularity and rankings online. A single vote can be very important to an internet site's appeal and presence on the web. This sends out a favorable signal and lasting good impression about your item, merchandise, or services online.

Social signals are practically everywhere nowadays. No matter which website or blog site you visit, chances are you will see Facebook logos and links. The majority of sites are also blanketed by Twitter logos and links, along with Google or other social media sharing or book marking sites. As soon as you like or suggest a site, search engines are quick to pick up on it. In fact, a simple like or positive post suffices for search engines to identify the worth of a website. Likewise, if individuals compliment your website through social media links, chances are it will rise in online search engine rankings and results. This is merely the major reason why social patterns and signals are very important for any new or existing online venue.

That being said, social signals are now rendered to be a brand new kind of SEO. They are treated to change back links over time. Google+ for one is currently the leading social network platform to secure recommendations worldwide. With Google+'s help, Google is able to amass tons of referrals and social shares. As a consequence, several sites and business owners are now striving to strengthen their online presence online. Regardless of the reality that all of us subscribe to the tried and tested advertising techniques, they nevertheless do not provide the exact same favorable outcomes that these social signals offer.

For those who like to know more about the significance of social media marketing, visit the web. There are tons of resources on the web that will for sure enlighten you today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7632086

Beginners Guide to Social Media

So, to answer some of these questions, I'd like to present my "Social Media For Beginners" overview. Are you wondering:

• Which networks to join?
• How to participate?
• What's enough, or too much?
• How will it help my business?

First, a quick recap of my favorite networks and what they're about.

Facebook - The ultimate platform for keeping up with (stalking) friends. I joined Facebook way back in 2005, you know, when it was just for college students and before you could even share photos (gasp!). I've witnessed the evolution of this mega-network over the years, and it has become, not only the 4th largest website in the world, but the best place to find people, keep up with them, and inform them. It is the son of Classmates.com on every possible steroid ever ingested by humans. The ability to share and communicate with friends and colleagues is seamless. Overall, Facebook is a great place to start your social networking endeavors.

LinkedIn - A must-have in every business person's arsenal of tools. If you are (or hoping to be) in business of any sort, LinkedIn is a great place to set up shop. Very similar to Facebook, minus the annoying applications, plus job postings and resumes. This is where you network with those in your industry, join groups, research companies, and prospect clients. Build you credentials by asking colleagues for recommendations or head to the "Q&A" section to offer advice.

Twitter - Share, Learn, Meet. I wouldn't be surprised if Webster adds a new definition for "tweet" this year. Within the first half of 2009, Twitter has gone from nearly 5 million users to over 23 million. It is the social media platform of choice at Fortune 100 companies. Easily share links, pictures, videos, articles... Oh, and personal updates... with followers. Twitter is kind of like the cocktail party of social networks. Here, you can easily reach out strangers by tuning in to their tweets or quickly replying to them. A limited amount of customization keeps annoying advertisements and outlandish profiles at bay, unlike the outdated MySpace.

Digg, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, reddit, etc. - Social Bookmarking to share and store your favorite links. You just read an article over at NYT.com that you loved. Use one or more of these bookmarking sites to share it with the world. Looking for information or articles on a certain subject? Head to one of these sites and search your topic, you'll be able to peruse a list of articles or sites that others have found useful or interesting. Not only are these great for sharing, but storing sites for later use as well. Say you have a home desktop, a netbook for travel, and a work computer... customize your bookmarks and easily access them on each computer without updating each machine.

FriendFeed - All of your networks in one place. FriendFeed lets you put all of your networks in one big stream. Users can see your Facebook status, latest Tweet, pictures posted on Flickr, blog post, bookmarked article and much more when they follow your feed. Much like Twitter, but a whole lot more. These are the networks that I tend to spend most of my time on and are probably some of the key ingredients that should be in the pot. Every person and business is different and may need to change their recipe accordingly, but the key to all of these is to contribute and become a part of the conversation.

web design nashville

So, now that we've briefed some of the major players in the social networking field, it's time to discover how we can use them. As a person in business, especially an industry with a significant amount of its target market online (which is really all of them now), you've got to understand that these networks are an integral part of their lives. Just like in previous decades where television commercials were considered a major part of any advertising/marketing plan because everyone watched TV... now, as many are leaving cable in the dust and turning to the Internet for their information and entertainment, it's more crucial than ever to join the ranks the digital pioneers.

However, the people using these networks are smart. They don't fall for blatant advertising traps like they used to. They want to know that there's something in it for them... If your product isn't it and that's all you're talking about on Twitter, then they'll ignore you. Social networks aren't about advertising - they're about building relationships.

Say you run a small business, maybe you own a restaurant, a clothing boutique, a PR firm or a chiropractic firm... What is in it for you?

• Take a look at your customers or clients when their in your office or store. Are they on their iPhone or Blackberry checking email? Did they mention finding you online? Did they hear about you from a friend? If you can answer "yes" to any of those questions, then you're missing out on connecting with your customers and should probably put on a pot of coffee, cause you're going to be here for a while.
• Social media is a chance to be in your market's finger tips when they look at their phone or get online in a friendly and non-obtrusive way.
• You can quickly address customer service issues by communicating directly with the customer.
• Prospect new clients.
• Learn about trends in your industry, stay up-to-date with competition and network with power players in your industry.
• Offer existing customers incentives, coupons or interesting information to keep them tuned in to your brand.

Many people will pay thousands of dollars trying to get these things with traditional techniques. Social media is free... despite, of course, any operating costs like time and possibly design fees to add a professional touch. You need to be on here... Do a Google News search for "small business social media". BusinessWeek, LA Times, NY Times will be some of the publications insisting you buck up and make it happen.

How to participate effectively:

• Do not start a social media campaign if your intention is free advertising. No one will listen and you will waste your time. Period.
• Take a minute and figure out what you want to get out of being involved in social networks. Research how other businesses have been successful. Make a plan. Mashable is a great place to learn about social media.
• Twitter is a great place to find people in your area, geographically or by industry, and interact with them. Make a conversation, always give if you ever want to receive and don't constantly advertise. No one likes spam... so don't spam your followers with pleas to go to your website or go into business with you. Offer your followers a coupon or discount if you're hoping for business from them... Keep them up-to-date on any changes to your menu or services... Share fun pictures from happy customers... Follow-up with an unhappy customer or use your competition's bad customer service as a great way to introduce you into their lives. Just remember to keep it real, be you, because everyone wants to know that there's a human behind your username.
• Facebook is generally most successful by companies with a large following or customer base. But that doesn't mean you should skip it... create a personal profile so you can network with friends and family. By being there, you can instantly share things about your business with people who already like you and will probably listen more than the average stranger. By keeping your brand in their mind, they'll be more likely to spread the word and pass you along to their friends, and so on. Word of mouth, my friends...
• LinkedIn is a must have for anyone in business. Very straightforward here, like a virtual resume on steroids. It's always good to network with past and present colleagues and continue to build relationships, because you never know when you may need them or vice versa.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2818653

5 Tips to Make Social Media Marketing Less Overwhelming

What a Social Media Consultant Can Bring to Your Business

Ok so we all know that social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube are all free, so why the hell would we pay someone to come and set them up for us? Social media consultants can be of great value for some companies and we are going to tell you why.

What companies should consider using a consultant?

Obviously if the managing directors, managers etc are of the generations which grew up with the likes of MySpace and Facebook then using a SM consultant is probably not that necessary, unless of course you did not have access to the internet during your youth. Business which will get the most out of employing an expert are those who have no prior experience with these different platform, especially those who have only ever run an offline company and are not trying to build themselves an online presence.

What do they know that I do not?

Someone who is an expert in SM will be able to teach you tricks of the trade that you will not be able to read in a 'social media for beginners'. These people will have interacted with these platforms on a daily basis for years and will have gained an expert knowledge from years of trial and error.

Are they worth my money?

A social media campaign is only worth doing if you are going to do it well. If you start a campaign and fail miserably, lose interest after a couple of days or publicly embarrass yourself and your company due to some misspelt/misunderstood 'tweet' you would have don't better just to leave the whole idea alone. Social media is now one of the most popular routes to market and if it requires you to pay someone to reap the benefits of the online market place then yes they will be worth your money.

If you're looking for a good social media consultant, Leicester is a fantastic place to start. This multi-cultural city has fast become the hub of the internet marketing scene.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5975906