5 Ways To Use Twitter Strategically For Your Business

using twitter for your small businessWhen using social media tools like Twitter to promote your business, it’s important to use them strategically so that you’re not wasting your time.

To take advantage of the below tips, I generally recommend using a 3rd party application such as Seesmic, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck since they offer column based layouts which typically makes it easier to navigate, in addition to features such as scheduling tweets.

1) Use Lists to Keep Track of People That Are Important to Your Mission

If you’re following a lot of people, it can be hard to keep track of who’s who and to make sure you see updates from the people that count.…

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7 Tools For Measuring Social Media Marketing ROI

tools for measuring social media roiSocial Media is going crazy viral as each day passes. Nowadays, it seems that everybody and their mothers use different social networking sites for a variety of purposes. In a show of entrepreneurial spirit, small businesses everywhere started to get on this marketing technique and follow it with such gusto that every article seems to focus on this strategy.

The measurement of your return of investments is important because it gives you an understanding of how effective a particular marketing campaign is. Sadly, 84% of those using social media do not measure ROI.

There are various tools which you can use to measure social media ROI.…

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Are You Ready For American Express OPEN’s Small Business Saturday?

American Express Open's Small Business SaturdayEntrepreneurs are getting ready as everyone looks forward to the inception of a new shopping event: Small Business Saturday. The first-ever event will take place on November 27, as part of American Express Open’s plan to support the local economy.

America’s largest employers are still small businesses and it makes sense that the industry gets the attention it deserves by having a whole day dedicated to it. The national movement is getting more traction as the actual event draws near. Advocacy groups as well as the public and private sector unite to support this national campaign. This concerted effort to support small, independently-owned businesses would help to drive sales in the holiday weekend shopping traffic.…

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Antisocial Media: The Opposite of Social Media

Engaging with the media in an interactive manner is no longer a “nice to have” – it is a necessity.   But, how much is enough and what are the true consequences of doing “just enough?”   And, what if “just enough” isn’t? More often than not, “just enough” is anti-social, if not anti-business.

antisocial media

Here’s an example of “just enough” thinking:

Client: “Yes, we are even more active on Twitter and LinkedIn. We even post a blog now and again.   We are with the program and making great progress. Let’s move on to talk about upcoming press releases.”

It was another one of THOSE meetings.  …

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Social Media: Is Visibility All There Is To It?

Gone are the days when businesses just relied on neon signs, tarpaulins and pamphlets. Since the inception of social networking sites, entrepreneurs harnessed it to maintain business relationships and attract new customers. Marketing has taken on a whole new meaning once social media became prevalent, especially for small businesses.

While it is true that the more people know your business exists, the higher chance you get of being considered to fit consumer’s needs, there is still the matter of being able to establish that you can deliver what you promised you would.

You may be sending hordes of email, tweeting left and right, posting new blogs daily all in the hopes of being noticed by more of your target market but have you measured how much of an improvement your business made since you started marketing online?…

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13 Mistakes That Can Jinx Your Business

13 small business mistakesDespite a modest-to-invisible economic rebound in the U.S., conditions remain precarious for millions of small business owners in all areas and industries. With economic headlines shouting one big problem after another, we’re conditioned to think about economic dangers in grandiose terms – the calamity that cripples and possibly sinks a business, whether it’s a giant oil company, or a local restaurant.

But the path to ruin is more often paved with small missteps, rather than a single cataclysmic event. Here are 13 mistakes that individually might not be life threatening to your business, but together can be terminal:

1. Hoarding Information.

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How Oscar Wilde Used Google Buzz to Teach Savvy Leadership

leadership skills“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” – Oscar Wilde

Wilde’s clever line came via an email newsletter one morning.  Chuckling and admiring how he’d fit so much into so few words, I shared it on Twitter.  Several hours later it showed up in Buzz.   And a few hours after that, “Mark” replied:  “I don’t think I understand that quote, do you mind explaining it? Thanks!”

I looked at the quote and wondered: “What doesn’t he understand? It’s really simple!”

Explaining humor kills it.  …

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How Social Media Can Affect Your Business in 2010

social media in 2010Social media websites grew at exponential rates in 2009. According to a report where Twitter grew at a staggering rate of more than 1000%, Facebook also achieved a growth rate of 228%. 2009 was also a year when most businesses joined social media websites like Twitter and Facebook to promote their brand. It is a well known fact that social media would be one of the most important factors which will affect all business either online or offline. So here are some tips that businesses should follow in 2010 for their social marketing campaigns.

Web 2.0 Customer Support: – Since most of your target audience would be using these websites, you have to make sure that you provide information about your products and customer support to your clients on such websites.…

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10 Tips For Integrating Social Media Into Your Marketing Mix

social media marketingFor most small businesses, social media should be one weapon in your arsenal – not your entire marketing strategy. Look for smart ways to integrate social media into your current marketing efforts. Just like any other tactic, it has its own benefits, advantages and shortcomings – you can’t rely on it for everything, so play to its strengths. Here’s some tips for smart social media integration.

1. Always connect the dots – link back to your website from all your social media profiles.

2. Where possible back up the contacts you make on social networks. Myspace recently acquired and promptly killed Imeem leaving millions of users without access to the contacts they had developed on that network.…

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The Mrs. Kravitz Effect

online brand monitoringIf you are a baby boomer like I am, you probably remember the 60s television show, Bewitched. Mrs. Kravitz was the busybody next-door neighbor of the sitcom’s main characters, Darren and Samantha Stevens. Mrs. Kravitz was extremely nosy; always peeking through the curtains to see what was going on at the Stevens’ home. If there was anything strange activity or unusual behavior, she knew about it (Samantha practiced witchcraft, so strange or unusual was an understatement.) The point is, she was extremely observant and clearly saw the goings-on where no one else did.

In today’s social media environment consumers have enormous control over what is said about your product or company.…

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