Twitter in Plain English

Use Social Media to Stand Out from the Crowd     

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Written by Nathan Johnson

One question clients often ask is, "How do I use social media to stand out from the crowd or competitors?" Sometimes the answer may seem simple.

One tactic you can implement immediately is to join, or even better, start a group on Facebook. Groups allow like-minded people to come together and share common interests, ideas and hobbies, and friendships and business relationships.

 

As a business owner, you may want to join groups of other business owners in your community or elsewhere. You may also want to start a group that pertains to your product or service. For example, if you own a pizzeria that serves regional wines, you could start a group for local wine lovers, eventually inviting them to your establishment to try out some of your favorite vintages.

 

Remember, your goal is to develop relationships, not sell your product or service. That opportunity should be a natural progression from the relationships you build. The keys to building these relationships are sincerity and commitment. If you start a group and do not actively participate, you will lose credibility, so stay involved or recruit or hire someone who can help maintain your focus and relationships. Most importantly, have fun!

 

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5 Great Ways to Tune Up Your Website

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Written by Mark Howland

 

Let's say you own a store, and today you're having your biggest blow-out sale of the year, with prices so low that you're sure you're going to be swamped all day long. You unlock the doors, turn the lights on and make all the necessary arrangements. A few hours go by and you keep seeing people walk right by your store, window-shopping. You swear that by the looks on their faces, they want to buy your goods, but why are they not coming inside?

You take a breather out in front of the store, say hi to a few passers-by, and then someone asks, "When do you open?" You wonder why someone would ask that at 2:30 p.m. after you've been patient all day, waiting for customers. You reply, "We've been open since 7 a.m. for our big blow-out sale." The person says, "Ah, okay. I didn't know because the neon 'Open' sign isn't on so I assumed you were closed."

Little things like that can be a huge game-changer. If you've been wondering why your website doesn't get enough traffic, mabye it's time to check if you're online "Open" sign is turned on.

Here are some helpful tips that you can use to increase your traffic and turn those window-shoppers into buyers:

• If you own an e-commerce site, make sure you list every important detail about your products
• Be sure to have relevant and unique keywords that are specific to your business. For instance, if you have an antique store, use "antiques", "collectibles", "memorabilia", etc.
• Analytics are important. There are a ton of different analytical tools, but Google Analytics has always been a great free tool to use
• Make sure to spread the news about your site. (Don't spam!) Just go out and be social, start a Twitter and Facebook page, and have some friends link back to you from their websites
• Blogs are really great marketing tools. You don't need to write a book; just write about some of your specials with a few photos

Not sure if your website's content is up to snuff? Contact NewMediaPlus today for a free, no-obligation 28-point tune-up on improving your business online presence.

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Social Networking in Plain English

Don't Forget Your Email Signature in this Web 2.0 World

Don't Forget Your Email Signature in this Web 2.0 World

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Written by Michael Currey | 08 December 2010

 

Business card overload? Remember your email signature!

For most people, they're just an afterthought, but I'm always forgetting where I put my cards or just not bringing enough with me to events. For an easy and quick way to make a connection, email is great when you're caught unprepared, not to mention its vital role in day-to-day business.

You can add as much information as you want to your signature. Besides the usual phone number, fax number and address, be sure to include your company logo. As well, your signature is a perfect place to add some social media marketing flair.

Remember to include links to your social media assets like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as your instant messaging names.

Analytics on your website are a given (and if you don't have a way of measuring traffic and where your visitors are from, contact us by clicking here!), but you can also use a service like Bit.ly to shrink the URLs in your links and gain the ability to see statistics on those links.

Bit.ly is a free service important for bloggers and Tweeters because the shorter links fit in smaller spaces and also allow you more space for content, which is important if you only have 140 characters to work with. And if you're stuck with a long URL for your company site, there's no better tool than Bit.ly to give you a smaller one you can customize and include in your email signature.

Finally, you can use WiseStamps to "empower your email signature", according to the company.

It helps you quickly create an HTML footer for Web-based email clients like Gmail and Yahoo. Once installed on your browser, there are four tabs that contain easy-to-use forms for adding different icons and your contact information and logo. The coolest part are the apps. You can quickly add a live feed of your latest tweet or blog post, recently StumbleUpon finds, latest product you're selling on eBay and more!

One thing that was disappointing is that the Twitter and RSS feeds are not dynamically generated by the code but by the app itself each time you compose an email so no-go on super cool emails from my desktop email client like Outlook.

In the end, creating a dynamic email signature is easy, quick and universally understood while giving you the ability to include any information and branding you desire.

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30 Days till CES 2011

30 Days till CES 2011

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Written by Nina Khoury | 07 December 2010

 

The most important exhibition for trends in home electronics for the the upcoming months, the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) certainly is the place to see what you might (or might not) find in stores later in the next year ... and to populate your Christmas wish list early.

Once again, from Jan. 6 to 9, geeks, fans and electronics enthusiasts from all over the world will flock to the Las Vegas Convention Center to be wowed by what the big and small players in the industry have spent months and years developing.

While you might have missed out on the free registration for CES, you can still register for the show for $100 by Dec. 31 and for $200 from Jan. 1 on.

If you have never been to CES before, a few of bits of advice from a Las Vegas local and long-time attendee (namely, me):

* Wear comfortable shoes. The show is big. Really big. Save the dress shoes are for the after-parties.

* Don't collect every single catalog and brochure in the first hour. You will have to carry them around for the rest of the day.

* Look at the online exhibitor's directory and identify the ones that are most important to you beforehand and familiarize yourself with their locations.

*If you have a rental car, don't drive to the convention center. If you do drive, don't expect to find parking. Catch a free shuttle from your hotel or use the monorail. Ask your concierge for details.

* For smartphone users, there's a new app called Follow Me that features interactive floor maps, real-time show alerts and much more.

* Freebies use to be one of the most important and fun reasons to attend a convention in years past. Today, they've become rare, and last year, there were almost none. But, as always, many people (including me) will be looking for them and will be posting them on Twitter!

See you at CES!

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Local Search Engine Marketing

Search Engine Optimization

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 Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook Increase Your Sales

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NewMediaPlus.Net is the leading blog for social media marketing information, click here to view the website

Written by Robert Rios | 06 December 2010

 

Using social media tools like Foursquare may give us a good picture of consumer trends. Target made a herculean effort to market its Black Friday sales, including buying the hashtag "#BlackFriday", and received nearly one-quarter of all check in's via the location-based, micro-blogging site.

Target has not released any specific sales figures but if it received any share of revenue close to the percentage of check-in's it received, it was a good day. The National Retail Federation reported that there were 17 million more shoppers in stores this year over last year and sales revenues are estimated to be $45 billion overall.

For small businesses, there are lessons to be learned from the big boxes' strategies.

Using Foursquare or Facebook Places to promote your company and special offers is effective!

The first step is to build a robust, online social media presence. There are literally hundreds of platforms out there so investigate which are the best suited for your business.

Secondly, an audience of people with similar interests or specifically interested in you has to be built. For instance, if you're a restaurant, get a Foursquare account and watch who becomes your friend or checks in to your location. Then, click on each profile. You'll be able to see if that person lives in your city, and if he or she is on Facebook and Twitter. If so, click through and send them a friend request on those platforms, too. Though it takes time, this will pay off in the long-run.

Next, you need to engage in a dialogue offering information, education, inspiration and humor. Ultimately, the larger audience will provide for more potential customers. Converting customers will depend on the type of your business and services offered. Creating awareness of your promotions and special offers allows your audience to choose your business. Naturally, you don't want to keep putting the same message out every day, and it's best to find out the best time to post your messages.

A steady, long-term campaign will help your business maximize conversions when your customers are ready to buy. If you're thinking about taking the next step into social media marketing, contact NewMediaPlus by filling out this simple form.

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Put Your Experience to Good Use

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Written by Robert Rios | 06 December 2010

Building your business' success has more than likely come with valuable lessons, some probably very painful, that others can benefit from. What if you could generate revenue from your experience and hard-won expertise?

Here are some ways you can create some dollars from sharing your experience.

Newsletters

Newsletters are a wonderful tool to maintain communication and relationships with your customer base. A paid newsletter could be a way to offer more value to your existing customers. TinyLetter.com and Letter.ly can help you create subscription-based newsletters. Offer valuable information that is well-thought-out, well-written and targeted to your audience.

Consulting

Consulting is another great way to capitalize on your hard-won experience. You can create a schedule that allows you to manage your time, setting aside specific hours each week for consulting opportunities. Further, you may choose to only take on a small number of clients at any given time.

E-Books

E-books require some initial investment but can be a great way to share your knowledge with others. Once the e-book is written and the PDF file is created, you can instantly sell and deliver your writings without any inventory or shipping costs. There are several free, Web-based tools that can help you format and create your e-book.

Webinars

Webinars are another great tool. You can use online platforms to host and charge for your webinar. There are some technological requirements (although less than you might think) to produce a webinar that merits charging for access. You can answer attendee questions in real-time and even follow up with a copy of your presentation.

Remember,, "sharing is caring" and no one should care more about your business and financial well-being than you!

For help with all of the above, and more, contact NewMediaPlus by simply filling out this easy form!

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