Every business you can think of has an Internet presence today, and if you want to become an Internet marketer you can either work for a company or market your own products or services. The great thing about this is you can work from home without requiring office overhead expenses; you just need to have the skills. If you have been reading e-books or attending seminars about marketing online, you are a step ahead! And knowing your product is vital – you will need to understand how to place ads online thru various data bases, directories, other websites and how to maximize search engines to your advantage.We have all searched online for various products at one time or another, if you have a product that is unique or doesn’t overlap with another product, you could potentially make a significant profit but how? You’ll have to do your research on whether the product you are offering is wanted, if you can find a need that isn’t being met, you are on your way, and if what you are offering doesn’t give much information online, then you can create what is called ‘niche marketing’ – offering something unique that has not yet been thought of.It could be the simplest idea, even the most innovative companies seem to come up with the easiest ideas that we take for granted, because they think outside the box and do their research.You will need to build a website that is easy to use and navigate around, include information that will encourage your customers to purchase your product – photos, information on your product, ordering information, pricing – all the basics and join different groups related to your product or idea, begin paying for advertising on related pages and sites, and start attracting other like-minded people to connect with you – Twitter, Facebook, Plaxo, via a blog you keep, there’s no end to how you can connect online today.With hard work, diligence, a unique product, time and energy, you can create a new home-based business, start making that profit, and as the Internet moves forward, so will you!Good luck!James Hickey Master Business Consultant http://www.SDCCPRO.com http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven Internet Marketing system for retail, self-employed individuals and home-based businesses. He is skilled in all aspects of Internet Marketing including Video/Article Marketing, Blogging, Google PPC, E-mail Campaigns, Lead Generation and Social Media Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more.
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Having just passed its’ 500 millionth user worldwide Facebook is one of the most important platforms you can use to generate additional web traffic to your website or page. If you target marketing and social media networking via Facebook – and it’s free – you can get a significant amount of highly targeted traffic. Within those 500+ million users, there are a significant amount of potential leads for your business, but before you plunge into marketing to everyone there are very important aspects you must take into account before you begin.First you need to target your market, by doing your own research, and it can take quite a bit of time, but there are already many successful businesses already profiting from their Facebook marketing. Start by adding friends to your page, once added you can view their profile and gain an insight into their background, if they are associated with any groups, and if their interests connect with yours.Bare in mind though, that Facebook is the ‘social’ network, when first connecting keeps your posts and updates friendly, non-sales oriented, but do offer valuable content such as tips and techniques on your relevant industry. Also add a fan (like) page and load it with quality content to warm your leads up. Once you have provided this content you can start to add links to your site and special offers to your new friends. The more relevant the content, the more likely your prospects will turn into clients.Join various groups on Facebook – there are hundreds and hundreds, and some more than likely, will cater to your business or product. The groups can give you access to a huge amount of people who are already interested in what you have to offer. Start posting on discussion boards, post your own ideas and tips and answer other’s questions, this way other members of the groups will add you as a friend.Start off with the mindset of making friends, not clients, and eventually it will evolve into a great marketing campaign naturally.When posting, include personal anecdotes, useful information without pitching your business – remember, very important – do NOT sell yourself immediately – but do post things that will encourage people to engage back with you. Also include a link to your blog, it’s not a direct promotion but a subtle one which should include your website link – just a little way to let your friends know you do have a business too!If you can gain respect, response and recognition on Facebook, you will soon find yourself with an ever-growing following to your fan page, home page, blog, groups, there’s limitless possibilities. And go ahead and create your own group(s), encourage other group members to join yours, soon you will have a huge sphere of influence through which to grow your business and reputation.James Hickey Master Business Consultant http://www.SDCCPRO.com http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven Internet Marketing system for retail, self-employed individuals and home-based businesses. He is skilled in all aspects of Internet Marketing including Video/Article Marketing, Blogging, Google PPC, E-mail Campaigns, Lead Generation and Social Media Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more.
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Internet marketing is a fast evolving process – websites need to be updated constantly to keep web traffic targeted to them. If you have had a website for a while, and have not updated it, you must, in order to stay ahead and utilize the web traffic that can be drawn to your site.
Do you know where to get your website marketed online to draw web traffic? Do you know what good Internet marketing is? Many small business owners are not aware of what they should do to draw web traffic to their page. That’s where an expert in internet marketing can help you, and yes there are several, if not tons, of providers online promising to help optimize your site, but there are only a few who are truly qualified in internet marketing and knowledge of web traffic and how to draw to your site specifically.
An expert provider utilizes the latest in internet marketing strategies, we are ahead of the curve and have knowledge of the latest techniques and web traffic building services for your website.
As a proven webs traffic builder and internet marketing strategist, we understand that what we provide for your website is ongoing business, not just for today, tomorrow, next month, but down the years to come, generating revenue and traffic for the long haul. Many providers just “provide” pay-per-click marketing, while this is also important, you need permanent back links to your website, article marketing, videos, social marketing, press releases, links to your blogs and other pages you may have, such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Each of these needs to be a completely separate back link, which only expert web traffic, Internet marketing company can offer.
There is a lot of competition with websites, and driving web traffic to your page may require both pay-per-click campaigns and the services of an expert web traffic internet marketing service. Depending on your budget you may choose one or another, but for the long haul, and proven web traffic for the long-term, an Internet marketing expert is recommended. James Hickey Master Business Consultant
http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven Internet Marketing system for retail, self-employed individuals and home-based businesses. He is skilled in all aspects of Internet Marketing including Video/Article Marketing, Blogging, Google PPC, E-mail Campaigns, Lead Generation and Social Media Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more.
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There comes a time when you have to decide on how much to spend on marketing. You need to sit down and come up with a budget. When you sit down to figure this out, make sure you have your sales from last year handy. This can be of great help. You should have a budget for everything you spend on your business, from utilities to marketing. Budgeting is the core of the business. What is the age of your brand? If it is new you will need to set aside 30% of your forecasted sales. Just make sure you can finance this even if you do not meet your forecasted sales. If it’s a brand that’s already established than you figure on anything between 2-10% of sales. What is your set objective? Are you looking at a massive or an incremental growth? When you set up your objective, make sure it’s realistic. What are other businesses spending on their marketing? You might have to match them but you have to be smarter then them. Put the money where it's going to get the most attention. You might have to do some homework on this. On the other hand if they don’t spend a lot on marketing then you don’t want a large budget. You have to keep in mind that not spending is not a way to savings. It does take money to make money. James Hickey Master Business Consultant http://www.SDCCPRO.com http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven Internet Marketing system for retail, self-employed individuals and home-based businesses. He is skilled in all aspects of Internet Marketing including Video/Article Marketing, Blogging, Google PPC, E-mail Campaigns, Lead Generation and Social Media Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more.
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What To Post Or Not To Post I see myself as a social media expert. I’m always following the newest trends. I’m like a sponge absorbing all the new gadgets. I’m into feeds, blogs, badges, and different media sites. If it’s new, I know about it. I even challenge myself and master it. Then of course teach my friends. When you use twitter you come across all the latest gossip but it can also provide information that you might find useful. I use it to see how traffic conditions are before I head out. I even look at the scores on the game that I’m following. Social media is a form of communication with your friends. You can let all of your friends know something all at once. But some tweets that people post are very annoying. Some people find it interesting to tweet what they are eating. No one cares what you are eating so don’t tweet it. I’m not saying don’t post a review on a restaurant or on a good dish. But “I’m eating a sandwich in front of my tv” is annoying. No one wants to know that. I guess updating your friends your location can get annoying at times too. But in the same thought that can be fun. I mean finding someone near you without planning it. Or you are driving down the road and you want to stop to eat. You see a friend location nearby. Why not stop and eat with them. Maybe catch up on things. James Hickey Master Business Consultant http://www.SDCCPRO.com http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven Internet Marketing system for retail, self-employed individuals and home-based businesses. He is skilled in all aspects of Internet Marketing including Video/Article Marketing, Blogging, Google PPC, E-mail Campaigns, Lead Generation and Social Media Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more.
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How To Work Out A Smart Internet Marketing Plan:
Internet marketing is quite booming and its sensible to hit the iron when it is hot. It is important to know that everybody can do work but the world is moved by smart workers. If you wish to be successful in internet marking then learn to act SMART. Here are some tips to get your best out of you.
S stands for Specific. It is important to know what you want. It’s very important to be specific as this defines our core area and we can concentrate better. You must know which affiliate program will yield benefit, which back link or SEO program will make your promotion more visible. You must know right doors to open so that you save lots of time and reach the right audience for your product.
M stands for Measurement. you must be able to measure your performance in terms of work done. For example if you aim to reach launch new marketing plan with 15days time then you should be able to finalize everything and get it on board on the 13th day. The last two days you can work on other possibilities. Be specific in your goals as well, this helps you measure rightly and get good results.
A stands for Attainable: It is important to know if your entrepreneurial plans are workable or not. Internet marketing may look lucrative but it must be practical to achieve as well.
R Stands for Realistic. You are going to join the entrepreneur league then your goals and achievements have to be realistic. Do not indulge in hyperactive plans with zero results.
T for Time Bound. Time is a very important thing. One must be specific in terms of delivery timing so that you can assure secure future.
James Hickey
Master Business Consultant
619-224-2592 Office Mon-Fri 9am to 3pm PST
http://www.SDCCPRO.com
http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com
James Hickey is a top leader in the Internet Marketing industry. He provides his clients and students with a proven business model for retail, home-based or MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) businesses. He is an expert in Social Networking Web 2.0 Marketing, dominating Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn and many more
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San Diego, Ca. – James Hickey, an Internet Marketing Consultant with SDCCPRO, is excited to announce the latest Internet Marketing tool: the BlackBox. The BlackBox, which conforms to the Federal Trade Commission’s newly established guidelines, was designed to streamline online commerce and allow associates to sell anything, to anyone anywhere in the world.
This November 2009, more than 1,400 entrepreneurs from around the globe gathered in Las Vegas to get the knowledge from the live teachings at the Fourth Master Marketing Event and were the first to learn the details of the much anticipated BlackBox.
Statistically speaking, SDCCPRO should not exist today. The average Internet Based Business doesn’t survive beyond twelve months and yet this business model is anything but average. Words like integrity, respect, and commitment define us in times that have seen corporate greed and deception.
When SDCCPRO launched nearly three years ago and a plan was put together to build an organization dedicated to its associates. The business partners share a commitment to positively impacting the lives of those within the our community, as well as those in the larger community beyond our business model. What they have created is an community of Internet Entrepreneurs.
It’s this commitment which drives us to provide its associates with the cutting-edge tools and resources needed to compete in the ever-evolving world of Internet marketing. The ability to anticipate changes and provide workable solutions is what led to the development of the BlackBox.
Hickey states “BlackBox is an Internet Marketing tool designed to allow our associates to sell anything, to anyone, anywhere in the world and to do so while operating within the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines for e-commerce”.
We offer Internet Marketers the instruction and education required to quickly develop a strong and lasting Internet Marketing business. It eliminates the overhead traditionally associated with building an Internet Marketing business by providing a fully staffed virtual office, business resources, and communication tools, as well as the support and training necessary for each associate to successfully achieve their goals.
This is a unique business model where associates are encouraged to share their knowledge with one another in the belief that this will ensure the success of everyone within the community. This approach has proven to be more than theoretical as the achievements our business and its associates continue to grow.
James Hickey is an Internet Marketing Expert looking for students to teach this unique marketing system to and increase their personal income. You can learn more about BlackBOX and his SDCCPRO business at: www.SDCCPRO.Com
SDCCPRO is currently available in 173 countries and 42 languages.
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Normal0 Internet Marketing Ideas For You Just like with anything else Internet marketing is also developing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, some thing new pops up for you to learn. As an Internet marketer you need to learn how to prepare yourself for the success you are driving toward. I found a few new ideas coming our way. The first one is Bing. The way Bing is developing, it will be big soon. They are working with Yahoo and its ground breaking search technology. Bing has more packaging than Google will ever have. Another good idea is mobile payment technology. Many people and companies are heading for mobile payments. Merchants will be able to get payment iPhone or PayPalX. Make sure you get the heads up soon. Videos are still a great idea. More and more search engines are heading towards videos. It’s easy and will just get easier. People want to see the face behind the words. With all the development with technology, video is where you should be heading. Freelancing is always a great idea. Websites numbers are growing with freelancing. Many people and companies get outsource help instead of doing it themselves. You shop around and decide on what you really want to pay for. It saves on time. You want to keep your eyes on the ranking of search engines. This could be homework for you. Many search engines are looking at social data (facebook and twitter). These sites are getting more and more popular. You should be on these sites as well.
James Hickey
Master Business Consultant
619-224-2592 Office Mon-Fri 9am to 3pm PST
www.sd-entrepreneur.com
www.sdccpro.com
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What Is Internet Marketing? You may think of websites or spamming or search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Or you might even think of affiliate programs is internet marketing. Simply internet marketing is about these things: * Understanding what will make your product appealing for your market.
* Determining exactly how your market interacts with the internet.
* Positioning your product on the internet to attract the attention of your market.
* Collecting information about your market for follow-up and conversion into sales.
* Design of incentives to induce the desired actions from your leads. Since there is not enough space in this article to give all of these topics attention, let's look at one specific topic: Email Marketing. I like the permission-based email marketing best. Permission-based email marketing refers to the practice of collecting information from website visitors and communicating with them via e-mail with their direct permission. This is what separates legitimate email marketers from the spammers. My love of email marketing is strong for one reason: It works very well. Email marketing enables us to produce income on demand simply by sending a good offer to our list. When you have thousands of loyal subscribers and you put a strong and compatible offer in front of them, income becomes nearly automatic. To be successful at email marketing you need to develop a trust worthy relationship with your subscribers. You don't want to send your subscribers a request for purchases every single day, they will likely stop reading your emails altogether. If you take the time to provide good content to your subscribers on a regular basis, you'll discover that they will take all of your emails seriously. Your emails will be opened, read and acted upon frequency. Email marketing is really an exercise in trust. Email is the foundation that our business sits on. www.SDCCPRO.com James Hickey Master Business Consultant 619-224-2592 Office Mon-Fri 9am to 3pm PST
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If you want to make a lot of money online, you can forget about spending just an hour a day at the computer and then taking the rest of the day off. There's much more to it than that. Some internet marketing programs promote the ease and speed with which you can earn an income, but it doesn't happen that way.
It takes time to learn so much and for a while you'll feel that you're going backward instead of forward. You need to be patient, keep positive and focused on your goals and never give up. You will be successful if you persevere and put into practice the things you have learned along the way. If you're promoting a product and it isn't earning anything for you, then drop that one and find another. Change anything that isn’t working for your business or product.
Internet marketers find out what is a profitable product or business by doing keyword research. They will see how much advertisers are willing to pay per keyword phrase for their ads to be within the first three on the search engine page; and have the skills to realize that if advertisers are paying a lot, then they must be making enough sales within that niche to afford the high price to be in the top three. So it must be a profitable niche. Top internet marketers have the skills and experience to make the right decisions and it is these skills that will help to result in success. There are so many aspects to internet marketing and you may choose to only focus on one or two of them. But the fact remains that competition is fierce, so you have to learn many different skills to enable you to reach your goals. Internet marketers would be able to notice opportunities to exploit markets. By finding a niche that people are searching for and actually buying in, they will know that possibly money could be made from that niche as long as the advertiser competition isn't too high. If they were setting up Google Adwords and there was some not too high competition, but the search volumes were high, they would recommend using it for an Adwords campaign because they could still make it pay. In addition, Internet marketers would be able to tell whether an opportunity to set up a site with Google Adsense on it would be profitable on the basis of the search volume and the cost per ad that the advertisers are paying in that niche. They would be able to plan out free ways in which to generate targeted traffic, and also be knowledgeable enough to set up Google Adwords campaigns which would generate quicker traffic. A beginner, however, would need to gain more knowledge before setting up an Adwords campaign because it's best to have some expertise in order not to lose. For you to be able to learn all these skills and much more, you need to find Internet Education Company that is going to show you exactly what you need to do. You might wonder how you're going to choose the right one when there are so many programs offered online. How do you decide which ones are good value for money and are going to teach you what you need to know? Good recommendation is one way, or another is looking at reviews. If you're promoting a product, you'll know the importance of traffic. Generating free traffic takes time and this can be frustrating. Not only is it slow, but when visitors arrive at your site, you want to be able to capture their interest long enough so that they either click through to the vendor's website, or to at least leave their name and email address in an opt-in box that will enable you to forward offers or newsletters to them and perhaps secure a future client or customer. James Hickey
Internet Marketing Consultant
619-224-2592 Mon to Fri 9am to 4pm PST
Visit My Web Site Below And Learn How I Make Serious Money Online And How You Can Do The Same. Free Information Reveals Top Secrets:
www.sdccpro.com
www.sd-entrepreneur.com
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Article Marketing Services - What You Should Know About Article Marketing Services
If you are thinking about getting into an article marketing service, then you should read this.
You might have a product or wedsite that you need people to hear about. Or maybe you're just trying to get into internet marketing. You can write
articles about your product or website that will let readers link back to your website about your product. If you are unsure about writing articles to
get the website traffic that you desire, or just unsure of your writing skills then you can get the help of an article marketing service.
You may know how to write your articles to get noticed in the search engines, article marketing service know how to market them to gain the
traffic your searching for. They are great because they know the tricks that you need to draw solid traffic to your articles and then on to your
website. Article marketing service have numbers of writers that give you strong, original content. When you get some extra money enlisting the
help of an article marketing service can be a good way to get the most value out of your dollar.
You want to make sure the article marketing service you choose knows the world of search engine optimization. They will have a better
understanding on how to get your articles out and get them listed on all of the best article distribution websites. This will get you a great amount of
readership. Links to your other articles and even your website should also be in place to continue the readership. All you have to do is find the
right article marketing service for you and your needs. Best wishes.
www.SDCCPRO.com
www.sd-entrepreneur.com
James Hickey
Master Business Consultant
619-224-2592 Office Mon-Fri 9am to 3pm PST
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Getting Into An Online Business
When looking to start your own online business, there's a lot to look into. You can't just jump in, especially in this day and time. People are barely holding onto their jobs. They're four different things you want to research in the internet marketing industry before making a decisions.
First one is marketing and advertising skills.
People need to have leads for their business. That's where the motivation and knowledge of marketing strategies and advertising to draw quantified leads to you comes in handy. Getting daydreamers and tire kickers is a waste of your time. Not all of us are born salesmen. I'm sure all of our family members and friends are tired of hearing about everything we have to sell. Cold calling and knocking on doors is out of the question. There are organizations out there that does the advertising intended for you. So you don't have the burden of doing it yourself.
Second is the support you might need.
It's not a secret that 97% of marketers fail in their first year. They expend supplementary money on their online business just to find themselves alone. No one to ask questions and no one to tell them how to do their business step by step to succeed. You need the mindset that you can generate money and the desire to give it your all. If you don't think you can do this, then you can't. It would be a good idea to have support from an already develop organization.
Third is creating the brand of you.
The third is taking part in the online tailoring and brand of your story. Sure, there is a lot of fake testimonials from marketing sites with the purpose to get your money. Make your own brand and credibility. They're some organization that lets you design your own website. Helps you every step of the way.
Fourth is a turnkey marketing organization.
Make somewhere your home. Don't estimate on how to produce money in the manner of paying money to join a organization. Get into a proven turnkey organization that can create a six diagram monthly paycheck. With a step by step proven proposal attendance and endless motivation.
James Hickey
http://www.SDCCPRO.com
http://www.sd-entrepreneur.com
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Facebook’s not just for keeping tabs on friends and college students anymore — it can also be used as a highly effective business tool. It’s great for marketing your products, landing deals and connecting with your customers. 1. Fill out your profile completely, all the required fields. 2. Create a business account which is also called a Fan Page. 3. Read the Facebook rules regarding business accounts. 4. Install applications to integrate feeds from your blog (add to Notes) and other social media accounts (Twitter) into your Facebook profile. 5. Protect any parts of your personal profile private through Settings. 6. Establish friend lists such like Business and Friend lists. 7. Add professional or business casual photos of yourself. 8. Add videos to your pages, click on the Boxes Tab to find them 9. Post any newsletter information and archive somewhere in your profile. 10. Obtain a Facebook vanity URL like Facebook.com/yourname 11. Add your Facebook URL to your email signature and any marketing pieces. 12. Post business updates on your wall. Like events and specials. 13. Share useful industry related articles and links that interest customers and prospects on your wall, to establish credibility. 14. Combine Facebook with other social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. 15. Research potential clients before meeting them. 16. Upload your contacts from your email list to find more connections. 17. Find experts in your field and invite them to post on your wall. 18. Market your products by posting discounts and special deals. 19. Create a survey or research data to gain credibility. 20. Use Facebook Connect to add social networking features to your web site. 21. Buy Facebook ads to target your exact audience. 22. Add basic information to your fan page such as links to company site, newsletter subscription information and newsletter archives. 23. Post upcoming events including webinars, conferences, street fairs and other programs where you or someone from your company will be present. 24. Update your group or fan page on a regular basis with helpful information and answers to questions posted on your wall. 25. Use Facebook search to find groups and fan pages related to your business by industry and location. Send no more than 25 friend requests to people in these groups. James Hickey Internet Marketing Consultant 619-224-2592 Mon to Fri 9am to 4pm PST www.sdccpro.com www.sd-entrepreneur.com
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Twitter is a great tool to get your target audience discover you, your business and your blog. It helps establish a link between you and your audience in a non-threatening way and can be a great part of your online marketing and social media marketing. Here are some of my tips and tricks to help you get massive amounts of Twitter followers. - Find people who you are interested in and that have a large amount of followers. This can be other Internet Celebrities like Frank Kern, Mike Dillard and me of course :-) @sdentrepreneur. If you want to follow local people, look for people or businesses in your area.
- Once you have found people you want to follow, click on Followers and only follow the last 3 to 5 pages. These are the most active people who are on Twitter. You can only follow 300 to 500 per day.
- Depending on your Twitter page, on average, 50% to 70% of people will follow you back. This can grow you followers greatly per day.
- You may eventually run into your limit that Twitter allows, which is 10% over your Follower total.
- To correct this, after adding people for several days in a row, stop adding people, wait 2 to 3 days to give people a chance to follow you back. Then go to www.huitter.com and you can mass unfollow people with one click.
- Your next step is to use Social Oomph - www.SocialOomph.com Here you can set yourself up to Auto Follow People back, send Direct Messages to people who Follow you and set up AutoMated Tweets so that you can send messages 24/7.
- Regarding these Automated messages, write your messages with keywords that you think people are searching for and that you want to connect with. You can use this service for free but I suggest using the Professional version if you are serious about your marketing plan.
- You also want to sign up to www.Twellow.com which is the Yellow pages of Twitter. You can add yourself to an additional 10 categories by creating a free profile. You can also add all your other Social Media links like Facebook and YouTube here.
- When on Twellow, go to the Twellowhood or Search window to follow people in your city.
- For the advanced Internet Marketers reading this, you can create a RSS Feed withGoogle Alerts to follow blogs/articles that apply to keywords that are of interest to you and then use www.bit.ly to shorten the feed and then www.Twitterfeed.com to send this directly to Twitter. This way you won't just be pitching your web site and by providing good information, you establish yourself as a leader in your industry.
- Add your Twitter URL to all your e-mail signatures and business cards.
- Lastly, read one of my previous Blogs about How to use Twitter Properly, this will help you keep your new followers and add more.
Hope you enjoyed and got some solid information from this Blog. Please share and Retweet to your friends and followers. James Hickey Internet Marketing Consultant 619-224-2592 Mon to Fri 9am to 4pm PST www.sd-entrepreneur.com www.sdccpro.com www.jmhmarketinggroup.com www.twitter.com/sdentrepreneur
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It is very clear that the popularity of social media is increasing by the day. For sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, the fastest growing demographic consists of users 35 years and older. Though social media was once considered a fad for kids, it has become a viable marketing opportunity for business. For the average user, social media is a way to connect with friends and family. For the business user, social media works by sharing compelling information to capture the attention of your target audience. When you do this well, you can count on generating website traffic, client leads and even media attention. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter revolve around the concept of a status update. When you update your status, everyone in your network can view what you have to say/post. This is where the real opportunity to establish yourself as a leader in your industry. Instead of updating your status to report that you are having dinner or that it's time to pick up your kids, share interesting status updates and watch the magic of social media explode. Many people have said they never know what to say or to post. Below is 25 ideas of what you can post for your status updates on Social Media sites. Type of Information to Post on Social Media Web Sites: 1. New blog posts 2. Someone else's blog post 3. Article you've written 4. Articles from somewhere else that you like 5. A video about you, almost like a video business card 6. A funny or controversial video 7. Before and after photos of work you've done 8. Fun photos of places you are or have been 9. Client success stories 10. Free ebook relating to your business 11. Upcoming events, like business mixers and happy hours 12. Live reports from an event you are currently attending 13. Book reviews 14. Recommended products, like cell phones and computers 15. Recommended services, such as great marketing guys like me :-) 16. Tips and tricks for doing something better 17. Recent media coverage you have received, like press release or article 18. Inspirational advice (preferably your own, motivational quotes are over-used online) 19. Breaking news alerts, you can get news out faster than new media 20. Requests for participation (ask for comments on your blog) 21. Contest announcements 22. Teleseminar/Webinar invitation 23. Special sales, offers and discounts (not too many) 24. A compelling question you want answered 25. Anything offered for free, people look to Social Media for free info Guide to Success 1. Your status updates should appeal to your target audience and provide value. Also, it doesn't always have to be directly related to what you do. For example, a mortgage broker might share community resources, local event announcements and family-related tips. This type of information would likely be more appealing to the broker's target audience than current interest rates and articles about mortgage insurance (though you can occasionally include those too). The point is to become a valued resource. 2. Follow the 90/10 rule. Avoid selling online and you will achieve more sales. That's right; we're all tired of being sold to. When you provide value, you build loyalty and trust. It's fine to include sales offers up to 10 percent of the time, but make sure you are primarily serving up useful content. 3. Use interesting titles and descriptions. You only have a limited amount of space to share information which means that a good title can make the difference between a reader who clicks through or completely ignores your post. 4. Track your results through Google Analytics or Bit.Ly. Pay attention to user response. If you're receiving comments and your content is being forwarded to others (for example, retweeting on Twitter), that is evidence that your efforts are working. Also, your network should be growing steadily as a result of the value you're providing. 5. Don't over use hyper links. When you share compelling content, it provides an opportunity to link back to your website or blog. This is great for building website traffic. However, not every post needs to have a link. Mix up your posts so that some simply offer something short and sweet. You can also shorten links and track the number of click-throughs with a service like http://bit.ly. 5. Be consistent. You will get the best results from marketing content through social media by participating on a regular basis. Ideally you should share something every day, even multiple times per day, to stay visible. You can automate some of your updates with services like http://ping.fm, http://socialoomph.com. But don't automate everything! 6. Engage with your audience. Social media involves a two-way conversation. It's not just about posting data out into your network and waiting to reap the rewards. Reply to people who comment, forward and share useful content from others and make sure you have a human presence in social media land. Think of it as being at a global business mixer, you don't walk up to the first person at the event and try to sell them something. 7. Build a social media plan. A plan should identify your target audience, include a strategy for ongoing content generation, should identify frequency of updates and indicate the amount of time and resources you are going to allocate to managing your social media strategy. Ask others for input or solicit the help of a social media expert. There is opportunity for every kind of business to benefit from social media. You simply need to find the strategy that works for your business.
James Hickey
Internet Marketing Consultant
619-224-2592 Mon to Fri 9am to 4pm PST
www.sdccpro.com
www.sd-entrepreneur.com
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