Category: Networking

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Networking Online Business

Top 5 Twitter Pet Peeves

I was speaking with a consulting client yesterday about using the social networks. This client is somewhat new(er) to social media, and is getting a fast-tracked education. 🙂
We got on to the subject of Twitter, and started talking about Twitter do’s and don’ts. While I know what my personal pet peeves are, I was curious as to what other tweeters thought. So, in a highly unscientific survey, I asked.
Here are the responses I got:
1) Lack of engagement
Several people cited this as a major pet peeve, where people follow them without trying to connect with them or find out more about them. This came up most often. It does seem that people really do want to use the social networks to connect.
2) Automated messages after following
This was the second most cited pet peeve. People feel like these messages are clutter and kind of clog up the works. From my perspective, if I follow you, you don’t need to welcome me. Just give me some good information (i.e. be a good tweeter) and I’m happy. Likewise, I am certainly thumbs down on all the direct messages about making money with Twitter, joining your Mafia family, and the like.
3) Spam and porn
This was the third most commonly cited Twitter pet peeve. People, in general, say they are blocking and reporting people who spam or send out pornographic links or tweets. There are some things which should be left to the imagination.
4) Too much tweet repetition
This pet peeve relates to people repeating their tweets. There are various services which let you set up recurring tweets, but the latest news is that Twitter is cracking down on accounts which make notable use of repeated tweets. This means that you can’t really “set and forget” your Twitter account without running a higher risk of suspension. I imagine that occasional repetition is fine, but just keep in mind that people want new information. Every tweet you send out has the potential to build your brand, so be original.
5) Too many hashtags or @ names
This means that people don’t want to read tweets that have too many labels or tags. They also don’t want to read ones which seem blanketed with user names. I, too, notice that I tend to glaze over when I read a tweet that references multiple users. Maybe the balance is to use names, but maybe 3 or less per tweet.
If you want to get attention, gain followers, and be more effective with using Twitter, keep these pet peeves in mind- and don’t do them.
Special thanks to my Twitter connections who contributed to this post:
@paganmomblog, @adamsherk, @Agotthelf
@jodhikavespa, @driveindustries, @mollyzmommie
@SchereLLC, @GAStroz, @AdaMarcom
(If you’re looking to connect on Twitter with people who add value and like to engage, follow them!)
RachnaJainPhoto.jpgDr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog

Categories
Networking Online Business Success Attitude

Want Attention? Be Relevant

Attention is mediated by a structure in our brains known as the reticular activating system. The reticular activating system (RAS) extends from the brainstem to the midbrain and is the primary controller of arousal and motivation in humans.
The RAS has afferent and efferent pathways, which means it sends data up the brain, and transmits data down the brain.
When sending information up the brain, it is functioning as a processing pathway. When sending information down the brain, it is driving action and behavior.
As the social media space becomes noisier and more crowded, getting attention is going to be more of a challenge.
The best way to get attention is to be relevant.
Adults focus almost exclusively on messages and information which will help them reach important goals, or which are immediately applicable to their current life or career situation.
The best way to get attention is to provide content and information which helps your viewers, visitors, or listeners make a behavioral change.
Whether you want them to start doing something, or to stop doing something, the more you can gain their attention, provide relevant and compelling content, and then make a recommendation for them, the easier it will be to create behavioral change.
And when you’ve been able to create behavioral change- whether it be in the way a person thinks, feels, or acts- you have gained influence with that person, and they are going to see you as much more relevant from then on.
Then your only goal is to remain relevant, which you can do by continuing to share powerful and useful information.
And so on.
RachnaJainPhoto.jpgDr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog

Categories
Networking

Too Shy For Social Media?

When you think about getting involved with social media, do you feel stressed out? Negative? Avoidant? Don’t worry, that’s normal.
It can be daunting to think about putting yourself “out there” in terms of engaging in social media. Aside from the real privacy and safety concerns about being so transparent online, it is also easy to see that, in some facets, social media is like a popularity contest- and one in which everyone knows where you’re ranking.
For many of us, it reminds us of high school- where we really wanted to be popular, cool, and hip- but just didn’t know how. And it’s not helped, at all, by the fact that some of our peers and colleagues feel so at ease swimming in the social media pool.
Underneath the shyness may be a feeling of discomfort- both of learning the new paradigm and then investing in it. We may use excuses of “social media is just a fad” or “serious businesses don’t use social media”, but, unfortunately, we’d be wrong on both counts.
Research suggests that the largest companies will be investing heavily in social media over the next few years. If you don’t dive in pretty soon, you might miss the party all together.
So what is a social media wallflower to do? Here are some tips to get started gently and easily with social media:
Determine how much you are comfortable sharing within the online space. Some people will be fine talking about their spouse, their work, and their pets- but not their children. Some people will feel more comfortable sharing about just their work and personal interests, sans family information or photos. There is not “right” or “wrong” way to participate, so you should always do what makes you the most comfortable. Realize, too, that certain social sites may require more “up to the minute” updates (think of Twitter, for example), which may not be quite your style. Create some guidelines for what you’d be comfortable sharing with complete strangers who may, eventually, become part of your professional network.
Focus first on a professional social network. One of the easiest, and most familiar, ways to step into social media is by using professional social networking sites, such as LinkedIn. This site allows you to contribute professional data, and to connect with others around your professional network. Given that this site is quite similar to creating an electronic resume or CV, even the shyest person should be able to complete the profile process quite successfully. There is more to using LinkedIn, of course, but getting your profile up is the first step.
Read the instructions. Be sure you understand what kind of data each site collects, and how it uses or shares your information. On some sites, data you provide will be automatically shared (public/viewable) with other users. So clarify how the site uses data and set your privacy settings appropriately.
Start small. Like any new skill you want to acquire, it is best to start small. Select one or two sites to start with, and gradually add on others as you move forward.
And who knows? One day you may find yourself participating, sharing, networking- and loving every minute of it.
RachnaJainPhoto.jpgDr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog

Categories
Networking

Social Networking Changed Everything ? The New Marketing & PR Model

Social%20Networking%20Changed%20Everything%20%C2%96%20The%20New%20Marketing%20%26%20PR%20Model.jpg
It?s pretty obvious that the marketing of today has changed. You have newspapers going virtual/web only, Twitter and Facebook replacing postcards and phone calls, and potential clients now being the main target of your press releases as opposed to editors. It?s all changing and to do PR today, you need to change with it. The good news is that it?s never been easier. The bad news, you need to learn a new way to do things. Fortunately, there are tips that can make it easier and I?m here to show you a few.
First, no one can deny the power of social networking. And those that do are just plain wrong. I?ve been in business since 1985 and I liken this to way back when emails became a way of life. Many still contended they wanted to do it the old fashioned way and nothing would beat a letter. (I know it?s hard to even imagine this today.) It wasn?t long until they realized their error, but by then their competition was way ahead of them. Don?t make the same mistake now. You absolutely need to get with it and get on board. I can practically guarantee you within weeks you?ll be hooked and wondering why you ever hesitated. It?s so easy, and the potential so great, you need to start today.
Let?s break it down. Twitter first. Forget all the ?I don?t care what they ate for lunch excuses,? that?s where your competition and peers are and you do need to be there too. Sure you do have a few tweeters who will update you on the latest hot dog they ate, but that?s rare. What you do have is more and more businesses networking and connecting with each other in ways never thought possible. It?s also more than just networking back and forth, you can have chats, host events, get more publicity for your articles and press releases & even announce your seminars and radio shows. And that?s not even the half of it. There are entire books written on this, so my first recommendation is to get them. Why struggle and find your way around when you can easily read the tips from those who know exactly what you need to succeed.
Also, while you are getting your feet wet, don?t jump in and start posting and selling and ranting and raving. Take it slow. Sign up, take a sit, remain quiet for a short time and read what others are posting. Follow the leaders in your industry and take advantage of their knowledge. It can almost feel like walking around with them all day and looking over their shoulders for their secrets. What?s cool is they give their tips freely, why wouldn?t you want to take advantage of that? As an example, if someone were looking for information on starting a virtual assistant business or getting publicity for their business, they could follow me at Twitter.com/dianaennen
Now the key many forget is that not only do you need to follow them, you need to listen earnestly to what they are saying. Go to the sites they recommend. Actually do the things they suggest. And most importantly, if you have the opportunity to contribute and honestly have something of importance to say, do! Even if they aren?t following you, once you list their twitter name @name, it will go to them. Best yet, you might get a retreat or even better a RT and follow back. As many say, those are the ultimate compliments.
Now it?s important to learn the social media lingo ? Hashtags, Retweets, Fans, Follow Friday, this is just a few of the many names you need to know to do business better. t can be overwhelming. No, in fact it is overwhelming. However, if you keep it simple and take it a step at a time, you can do it. When you see a term you don?t know, look it up right then. Write down your interpretation and do the investigating to find out more about it. Here are just a few to help you on your journey.
What?s a retweet? That?s when you find somone?s information useful and you want to pass it onto your followers. So basically RT (retweet) is good content that you pass on. Many RT just to RT. Don?t be one of them. You know your followers and what they want and need, that?s what you should be RT?ing. We highly recommend signing up for TweetDeck for ease in doing
this. A click of a button and you are there.
Next you need to know about Follow Friday. This is definitely one of my favorites. Think of Follow Friday as your day networking at a business get-together, only better. You get to stay in the comfort of your own home, and you get to immediately make the connections, not when you get home with a handful of business cards. Try and plan your week so you can participate. Remember this can be even more effective than a Chamber meeting or an expensive business seminar. So plan a lighter load on Friday whenever possible. You want people to mention you so mention them. Also, don?t just list 20 screens of twitter names that you want people to follow. Tell your followers why they should follow them. What do they offer that your
followers would be interested in? Remember to put #followfriday in your posting. (By the way, see that # in followfriday. That?s what is called a hashtag. Cool huh!) And finally, you want people to retweet your followfriday postings, so keep your count to 120 instead of 140 so they can easily do this. In fact, do this for all tips or postings you wanted retweeted.
Finally, try and post on Friday mornings. I don?t know about the rest of you, but I?ll often go down my postings to find those I want to list. I know I want to list them before hand so it?s not that I?m just going down my friends column, but often times I don?t have their information readily
available. By posting on Friday you are giving it to them.
Finally, sign up for Trilalerts for your keywords. Start following those of interest. For example, I?m a virtual assistant, so I?ve signed up forvirtual assistant updates. Now I can follow other virtual assistants easily. I do the same for Publicity, etc. Who do you want to connect with?
That?s who you sign up for. Follow the media. Sign up for Facebook and Twitter for the newspapers and TV stations in your area. Look for business reporters who tweak and follow them. Learn their style and what they are looking for in their articles.
Also, follow some of the owners of the many article and press release directories who tweet. Some of the best are on there and giving away secrets to success left and right.
Facebook is pretty self explanatory. The key here is to spend some time to expand your network. Fortunately you get notices when someone responds to your posts, so try and go and follow-up as soon as you can. However, be careful that you don?t get sidetracked doing this too often. Build relationships. You can have thousands of friends and fans, but can you honestly connect to all of them. I know I sure can?t.Twitter also now allows your tweets to be sent to your Facebook page too. This is definitely a plus. Just make sure that you don?t do this to all of your postings, only the ones you feel would interest your friends on Facebook.
Article Submissions, Press Release Submissions – I also say you need to send out articles and press releases religiously. Many question how some succeed with this and others don?t. What?s the difference? The main thing is that they know what to do. They realize the difference that page ranking can make and don?t waste their time on sites that don?t get results. They sign up for Google Alerts under their keywords and then check out the sites that frequently get spidered. Then they send to those places and add those sites to their database. We do have a fabulous PR informational package that is free to anyone who emails us.
Marketing a business and social networking doesn?t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business. Also, keep in mind if you don?t want to do it yourself, there are excellent qualified pros and virtual assistants
available to assist. You don?t need to do it all. You just need to do it!
About the Author:
Diana Ennen, specializes in publicity and marketing and is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and author of numerous books. Ready to jumpstart your PR campaign, then email her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com. Free PR Informational Package available. Twitter ? http://www.twitter.com/dianaennen .

Categories
Networking

Social Networking Changed Everything ? The New Marketing & PR Model

Social%20Networking%20Changed%20Everything%20%C2%96%20The%20New%20Marketing%20%26%20PR%20Model.jpg
It?s pretty obvious that the marketing of today has changed. You have newspapers going virtual/web only, Twitter and Facebook replacing postcards and phone calls, and potential clients now being the main target of your press releases as opposed to editors. It?s all changing and to do PR today, you need to change with it. The good news is that it?s never been easier. The bad news, you need to learn a new way to do things. Fortunately, there are tips that can make it easier and I?m here to show you a few.
First, no one can deny the power of social networking. And those that do are just plain wrong. I?ve been in business since 1985 and I liken this to way back when emails became a way of life. Many still contended they wanted to do it the old fashioned way and nothing would beat a letter. (I know it?s hard to even imagine this today.) It wasn?t long until they realized their error, but by then their competition was way ahead of them. Don?t make the same mistake now. You absolutely need to get with it and get on board. I can practically guarantee you within weeks you?ll be hooked and wondering why you ever hesitated. It?s so easy, and the potential so great, you need to start today.
Let?s break it down. Twitter first. Forget all the ?I don?t care what they ate for lunch excuses,? that?s where your competition and peers are and you do need to be there too. Sure you do have a few tweeters who will update you on the latest hot dog they ate, but that?s rare. What you do have is more and more businesses networking and connecting with each other in ways never thought possible. It?s also more than just networking back and forth, you can have chats, host events, get more publicity for your articles and press releases & even announce your seminars and radio shows. And that?s not even the half of it. There are entire books written on this, so my first recommendation is to get them. Why struggle and find your way around when you can easily read the tips from those who know exactly what you need to succeed.
Also, while you are getting your feet wet, don?t jump in and start posting and selling and ranting and raving. Take it slow. Sign up, take a sit, remain quiet for a short time and read what others are posting. Follow the leaders in your industry and take advantage of their knowledge. It can almost feel like walking around with them all day and looking over their shoulders for their secrets. What?s cool is they give their tips freely, why wouldn?t you want to take advantage of that? As an example, if someone were looking for information on starting a virtual assistant business or getting publicity for their business, they could follow me at Twitter.com/dianaennen
Now the key many forget is that not only do you need to follow them, you need to listen earnestly to what they are saying. Go to the sites they recommend. Actually do the things they suggest. And most importantly, if you have the opportunity to contribute and honestly have something of importance to say, do! Even if they aren?t following you, once you list their twitter name @name, it will go to them. Best yet, you might get a retreat or even better a RT and follow back. As many say, those are the ultimate compliments.
Now it?s important to learn the social media lingo ? Hashtags, Retweets, Fans, Follow Friday, this is just a few of the many names you need to know to do business better. t can be overwhelming. No, in fact it is overwhelming. However, if you keep it simple and take it a step at a time, you can do it. When you see a term you don?t know, look it up right then. Write down your interpretation and do the investigating to find out more about it. Here are just a few to help you on your journey.
What?s a retweet? That?s when you find somone?s information useful and you want to pass it onto your followers. So basically RT (retweet) is good content that you pass on. Many RT just to RT. Don?t be one of them. You know your followers and what they want and need, that?s what you should be RT?ing. We highly recommend signing up for TweetDeck for ease in doing
this. A click of a button and you are there.
Next you need to know about Follow Friday. This is definitely one of my favorites. Think of Follow Friday as your day networking at a business get-together, only better. You get to stay in the comfort of your own home, and you get to immediately make the connections, not when you get home with a handful of business cards. Try and plan your week so you can participate. Remember this can be even more effective than a Chamber meeting or an expensive business seminar. So plan a lighter load on Friday whenever possible. You want people to mention you so mention them. Also, don?t just list 20 screens of twitter names that you want people to follow. Tell your followers why they should follow them. What do they offer that your
followers would be interested in? Remember to put #followfriday in your posting. (By the way, see that # in followfriday. That?s what is called a hashtag. Cool huh!) And finally, you want people to retweet your followfriday postings, so keep your count to 120 instead of 140 so they can easily do this. In fact, do this for all tips or postings you wanted retweeted.
Finally, try and post on Friday mornings. I don?t know about the rest of you, but I?ll often go down my postings to find those I want to list. I know I want to list them before hand so it?s not that I?m just going down my friends column, but often times I don?t have their information readily
available. By posting on Friday you are giving it to them.
Finally, sign up for Trilalerts for your keywords. Start following those of interest. For example, I?m a virtual assistant, so I?ve signed up forvirtual assistant updates. Now I can follow other virtual assistants easily. I do the same for Publicity, etc. Who do you want to connect with?
That?s who you sign up for. Follow the media. Sign up for Facebook and Twitter for the newspapers and TV stations in your area. Look for business reporters who tweak and follow them. Learn their style and what they are looking for in their articles.
Also, follow some of the owners of the many article and press release directories who tweet. Some of the best are on there and giving away secrets to success left and right.
Facebook is pretty self explanatory. The key here is to spend some time to expand your network. Fortunately you get notices when someone responds to your posts, so try and go and follow-up as soon as you can. However, be careful that you don?t get sidetracked doing this too often. Build relationships. You can have thousands of friends and fans, but can you honestly connect to all of them. I know I sure can?t.Twitter also now allows your tweets to be sent to your Facebook page too. This is definitely a plus. Just make sure that you don?t do this to all of your postings, only the ones you feel would interest your friends on Facebook.
Article Submissions, Press Release Submissions – I also say you need to send out articles and press releases religiously. Many question how some succeed with this and others don?t. What?s the difference? The main thing is that they know what to do. They realize the difference that page ranking can make and don?t waste their time on sites that don?t get results. They sign up for Google Alerts under their keywords and then check out the sites that frequently get spidered. Then they send to those places and add those sites to their database. We do have a fabulous PR informational package that is free to anyone who emails us.
Marketing a business and social networking doesn?t have to be expensive if you just remember to network and use all the tools available to you. In fact, it can be fun as you get to meet new people and develop new ways to sell you and your business. Also, keep in mind if you don?t want to do it yourself, there are excellent qualified pros and virtual assistants
available to assist. You don?t need to do it all. You just need to do it!
About the Author:
Diana Ennen, specializes in publicity and marketing and is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and author of numerous books. Ready to jumpstart your PR campaign, then email her at Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com. Free PR Informational Package available. Twitter ? http://www.twitter.com/dianaennen .