You may be comfortable with blogging, know how to use Facebook to connect with friends, family and customers and love the ease and convenience of using Twitter. Yet, for many LinkedIn is foreign territory best left for the marketing executive or those with a full time staff.
Well, if truth be told, LinkedIn is my favorite platform by far. It surpasses Facebook for quality connections, Twitter for informal chats and giggles, and Blogging for lead generation and follows. Why? Because LinkedIn is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to executives, high-level decision makers and those who are serious about the professional world of business.
Who is on LinkedIn? The demographics appear to say anywhere from those in the $80-$100,000+ category. These are many business owners but I have met my fair share of entrepreneurs, business owners, consultants, coaches, authors, publishers, and executives in mid-management and beyond.
The entire idea behind LinkedIn is building relationships and that is the corner-stone for those making the most impact on this platform. People who give value, no matter where on or off-line usually have a large following. The idea of LinkedIn is similar to attending a networking meeting. Instead of walking up to the person and introducing yourself, you ask a friend to handle the introduction. In this way, your friend or acquaintance can vouch for you giving more value to the introduction.
In the next few weeks we will cover some of the ways to improve your LinkedIn profile, content and most of all how to get connected. We will also discuss the value of obtaining good referrals, inviting your friends and learning about group activities. If you have a particular question about LinkedIn let me know and we will address these in the upcoming weeks.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Linked In: The Story the Next Level of Networking
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
More Twitter Success Stories Using Short Cuts.
Last week I explained an incident where I was publicly thanked on Twitter for following a lead to a blog and posting a response. So, I decided to conduct a little experiment on how many people actually clicked through on the links using Twitter to come to this blog. By all accounts there were almost 50 clicks.
So, 50 people saw my Twitter message, clicked through and looked at my post on this Empowered Networking Blog. How do I know? My bit.ly account tracks this for me.
I've explained in an earlier post that bit.ly is a URL shortening device. It takes a long-long URL address and shortens it so it can have a memorable extension.
For example my writers blog name is:
http://www.WritingandPublishingBlog.com
Using the bit.ly extension shortening device it becomes: http://bit.ly/BlogForAuthors
The added bonus is the ability to track the number of people who have looked at my blog using this link. It is more than a matter of curiosity. This can be used for marketing purposes. Testing is everything. You can test the colors you use on your website, the changes you make when you phrase sentences and gauge who is stopping by and how that will translate into sales.
Another added bonus of the bit.ly shortening is a sidebar feature that will allow you to connect your Twitter account and tweet from a web page. The sidebar overlaps any page you are currently surfing and you can tweet the info and it adds your bit.ly account info so that you can later track the effectiveness of this effort.
Twitter deals with being social, interacting and having your information spread throughout cyberspace. Bit.ly is not the only URL shortener. In fact, HootSuite has one built in to the software. You can use any of the devices that make your life easier. If you have to spend an undue amount of time going from one device to another in order to spread a message about a great website or article, it is definitely not worth it! These little devices not only make your life easier, then enable you to profit from the comfort of your own home, computer or office space in a way that saves time each day.
If you have any Twitter questions let me know... we'll be moving on to Linked In next time!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
When Tweets Work to Drive Traffic to Your Blog
"May I just say that I am honored that you checked out my tweet and then sent me an email. Wow. That just made my day today!..."
Now, let me share, I don’t normally receive thank-you notes for leaving a response on a blog post. When I left this message, I let the owner know that a Twitter "tweet" caught my attention and drove me to her blog. I decided to leave a message, not only because the post was good, but also because I wanted to encourage the author that her media campaign worked.
That is the goal!
That is the idea!
That is when you know your tweets are working!
Sadly, most people do not think out the strategy. In fact I’d wager to say that most media campaigns are haphazard or unplanned. I speak from experience. Only recently have I planned a strategic campaign for all of my posts! Teachers of social media tell us to get online and blog, tweet, join Facebook, LinkedIn and go for it! What ends up happening is there is much confusion…you spin your wheels…you join every and any site…and you spend hours of wasted time. My goal is to keep my social media to about fifteen minutes per day. Yes, sometimes I go over that time, and spend about thirty minutes!
For some tweeting is:
a hobby
a place to post famous quotes
a place to share their current location or status
a place to share what they are eating
The advertising benefits for driving traffic to your blog, websites or articles is huge. I joined the Southwest Florida, “Empowered Women Network” to share my business expertise as an author, with other women. My reach, not only is Southwest Florida, but through this blog I reach countless others. When I tweet to share my blog post, the reach is world-wide. Twitter is free. Therefore, I think many people forget it is a powerful advertising tool. Investing in networking groups takes money and time, and for me local groups have paid off. I would not consider my business group a hobby, or waste my time at a local networking events. However, loss of productivity can be directly traced to social media sites such as Twitter. In reality Twitter does cost you money in the long run.
You never know who is reading your tweets and taking action. Most people don’t let you know how they found you. And when the twitter posts do work, how can you track whether or not someone clicked on a link for a website URL you posted? You can with URL shortening accounts. I have a free bit.ly account. There is a two-fold benefit to bit.ly. First, it will shorten your website URL and second you can name the URL extension…anything after the words http://bit.ly/YOURTAGLINEGOESHERE You can track the number of clicks for each of your shortened URLs through this account. You can use tiny.url or any similar type of service, there are hundreds of them. Twitter will automatically shorten a long URL.
So, how do you tweet about blog posts? Here is how *not* to do it!
"Here is my blog, read it!"
A better way is to make it cryptic and lure them into the end goal, clicking the link to read the post...
1. How can you get me to your blog? http://bit.ly/EmpoweredWomenNetwork
2. Does Twitter Work? http://bit.ly/EmpoweredWomenNetwork1
3. Twitter Success Stories: http://bit.ly/EmpoweredWomenNetwork2
After each phrase I have typed in a different number, which I have set up using my bit.ly account. In this way I can track the success of the phrases to drive traffic to the specific post I want to bring to the reader’s attention. If you had to choose from the list above, which would work to lure you to this blog post? Number one, number two or number three tweet? If you are here from a tweet containing one of those posts let us know! Many times people read blog posts and do not follow them, nor do they post comments. Believe me, posting a comment on a person's blog makes their day, ask Karen at Faith, Family, and Fibromyalgia!
I will share with you my success rates in the next post, as well as some time saving devices.
Felice Gerwitz held a social media seminar series which is still available to view. For details:
Social media class on Blogging, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In
Monday, March 15, 2010
Spring into Color
Hi first time blogger!! I look forward to educate and network with women on the topic of skin care and share the trends in color cosmetics. Spring 2010 we are seeing tropical color sensations and there are three ways to get on the trend. First, get a gorgeous GLOW with bronzers; second, have a splash of COLOR. Cheek glazes are back in bright shades that create a natural glow and third, moisturize your lips with lip balms with SPF in tropical shades.
Learn more of the Spring / Summer Fashion trends in apparel; jewelry along with skin care and color cosmetics visit www.marykay.com/tammy.miloro; click onto Tips & Trends
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
FaceBook: A Great Custom Look For Business Women
by Felice Gerwitz
Connecting and building relationships is what networking is all about. It is not surprising that companies large and small have joined the online networking revolution. "To have friends you must be a friend first," was the advice of my mother years ago, and still rings true today. Give value and you will have many friends flocking to your sites everyday. Using FaceBook to get them there works.
Letting customers know about specials, events or promotions via FaceBook, is an effective way to drive traffic to your site. Yet it is hard to stand out from the crowd when we all look the same. Facebook does not allow for many kinds of customization features...or does it? Women especially, and Business Women networkers in particular, are interested in using Facebook applications.
As with any type of information, make sure that you advertise to the masses. You can use Twitter to post information about your updates on FaceBook. Make sure the topic or title is intriguing. And, make your Facebook site look special with a little known Facebook application, Facebook Markup Language or FBML app. In this application you can customize your Facebook page.
One of the best uses for this application is the ability to paste HTML code from another application, such as a opt-in box for your newsletter or email group. In this way your custom box will show up in your sidebar on Facebook or in a tab at the top. I increased my Newsletter opt-in's by the hundreds with this one little feature.
Even though I am not an expert in web based language, I was able to add this application easily with the directions found on Facebook. For a more detailed tutorial, look at the help tab on the FB website, or hire a web master. If you want a super quick tutorial, (or Information in a Nutshell!)...
- In the search box at the top corner of your FB, page type in FBML. It will take you to another page that has an icon for the FBML...http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=FBML&init=quick
- Once you are on the page (it is a fan page) you will see the icon and under it click, "Add to My Page" You will then see a pop up window with all the fan pages that you Administer and you can select the page to add your FBML.
- Go back to your Fan Page and click the edit page and viola! There is the device ready to be edited. It will show up as a blank box and there is where you add the code.
That is where you can place the HTML code generated from your newsletter provider, in my case I use Aweber as well as Vertical Response. Each of these sites gives the user HTML code to paste on a website and now you know how to add it to your FaceBook page. FaceBook will soon unveil another updated look. Some users already have the new home page. There is always something new to learn, so stay tuned!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
FaceBook: Busy Business Women's List
by Felice Gerwitz
I have a love-hate relationship with To-Do lists. I like them because I can easily and quickly see what needs to be completed each day. I hate them because I am reminded of all the things I have not accomplished each day. So, in the spirit of liking and hating, I'm creating a To-Do list for your FaceBook page. See which of these things you have already done, and place the others on your list for sometime in the near future.
FaceBook for Women:
- Professional Picture: preferably with make-up, collared shirt and photo-shop touch up
- Lock Down: all settings are private to friends or friends of friends only with invitations enabled.
- Organize Friends: Make groups for business, friends, families
- Profile totally filled out: all information that you want the world to know or at least 400 of your closest friends (and their friends) completed
- Search: For target clients, co-workers, and possible new customers
- Check Friends Status: Try to post something personal on different clients walls to stay in touch
- Post Value Info: at least weekly, daily is best...be personal 20% of the time
- Connect FaceBook feed and Twitter: if your content is relevant and value driven this is important, make sure to still add new posts to Twitter
- Add your FaceBook URL to your email address
- Set your feeds: make sure your receive only the info into your email that is important
- Join Groups: related to business
- Check FaceBook daily, but not too often!
- Read FaceBook Rules: Beware, contests should be approved first via FaceBook
- Share: Useful articles, your blog, stats related to business or target market
- Engage follower: Ask Questions
- Post Pictures: Relevant to business
- Blast News: Events, Promotions, Free Product
- Join or accept "gifts" sparingly: These pull info from your FaceBook page, they are third party applications and not all are friendly. A warning box pops-up to advise you of the "threat"
- Look at Apps: Facebook is constantly adding more applications for business, great blog with more info: http://mashable.com/2009/01/22/business-facebook-apps/
- Add video: at least one time a month, fun to do and keeps the contacts guessing
That's it for today. If you can check all these off your list, great! Let me know what's on your FaceBook To-Do list, and I'll quickly add it to mine!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Simple Pleasures - Great for Reducing Stress
Ah, simple pleasures. You know, those little things that bring a smile to your face and to your heart. They are unique to each of us and when we experience them we subconsciously celebrate. The cliche says "The Best things in life are free!" and that is certainly true with most of life's simple pleasures. Here are a few of mine:
- watching the horses play in the pasture in the mornings
- sipping tea as the sun rises over our barn
- reading a book on my back porch with the pool fountain bubbling in the background
- walking/running with my daughter - always lots of laughter
- sneaking out midday to pet and give the horses a treat
- a moonlight ride with my husband
- window shopping
Beyond being free, simple pleasures play an important role in reducing stress. Stress is the result of negative emotions. Negative emotion can result from a variety of circumstances such as a worrisome thought, a unkind comment by a co-worker, or something tangible like a traffic jam. The higher the number of events of negative emotion that occur in a single hour or day the more stressed you will begin to feel. The best thing about simple pleasures are they are not only free, they are also great producers of positive emotions. How how does that relate to reducing stress, you say?
Psychologist report that it takes three positive emotion events to erase any single negative emotion event. In addition, if the negative emotion event was related to a spouse the ratio goes up to five to one. So that's where your simple pleasures come in. When your day is filled with negative emotion events (i.e., stress) it's imperative to your health and well being to offset those negative emotion events with positive ones. Otherwise stress becomes a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle if left unchecked.
So if you haven't already take a moment to make that list of simple pleasures and tuck it into your planner. Then next time you feel the stress building take a time out and spend a few moments indulging in one of your simple pleasures. You'll love it and your co-workers and family will likely appreciate it too.
For more on reducing stress visit my Compass website and try 3 days of the monthly action plans (MAPS) free. A great MAP for reducing stress is Step Into Balance - try your 3 days free. Also consider having Karen bring a stress reducing workshop to your office or women's organization. Click here to request Karen.
Karen Zeigler
Speaker & Life Coach
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
ABC's of Blog Feeds and Submissions
We will build it and they will come is truly the stuff of movies. You can build it but they won't come unless your blog is syndicated. What is syndication? It is an air-wave or channel that your blog runs on so that others can find it, or "stumble-upon" it. Having a blog go "live" that is on a feed of its own is normally taken care of through your blog platform, whether it is blogger, wordpress or your own website blog. Yet, having an RSS feed and letting other directories know about your blog is a good idea and can increase your readership.
Blog Directories or Search Engines
One way to list your blog is to do a search of the top blog directories and submit your blog. Here are a few that I have used:
Blog Catalog
Technorati
Stumble Upon It
Search Engine Directories Yahoo/ Google
My Blog Log
Blog RSS Feed Submission
FeedBurner
RSS Network
2RSS
RSS Mad
Of course visiting other blogs, and posting a comment is a good way to get interaction. I have recently tried, using marketing strategy to use social networks to get the word out. This is a very good way, as well. Do you find one directory especially helpful? Have you noticed a jump in your visits after submitting your RSS feed? If so, share the link, or result information with us.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Domain Name Tips for Small Business
Your domain name plays a key role in your online business success. It is what your website is called and how it can be found. Anytime you type into the address bar of your browser, you are using a domain name. For example, when you type http://www.empowerednetworking.com/ into your browser, you are typing in the domain name for the Empowered Networking website.
Choose your domain name wisely. When choosing a domain name, be sure it is something that people will be able to remember or recognize. Often times, a potential customer or a business associate may not know your physical address or phone number, and going to the internet and bringing up your website is the best way for them to find you. So try to keep your domain name simple and easy to remember.
When you’re ready to get a domain name for your website, you must first search to see if the domain name you choose is available for “purchase”. Now, I put “purchase” in quotation marks because in actuality you are not really purchasing your domain name, you are claiming it, or reserving it, for your use for the time you have registered it for.
You can search for a domain and purchase it at any domain registrar. Examples of domain registrar sites are goDaddy.com, eNom.com, and NetworkSolutions.com. Which domain registrar you use is up to you, as they vary in price and ease of use. Or if you have a webmaster, they can typically handle registering your domain for you.
Purchase your domain name for more than one year. When it comes to search engines, age matters. And the longer you reserve your domain, the better it is for search engines. If you purchase your domain for 3 or even 5 years, the search engines view your website as a more established business and will give it more weight and higher ranking in search results.
Keep your domain registrar login information in a safe place. Be sure you keep track of who your domain registrar is and be sure you have your login and access information stored in a safe place where you can find it. You need this information each time to renew your domain or if you need to move your website. If you do not know your domain login information, ask your webmaster to get it for you so you have it on file.
Be sure you renew your domain on time. If you do not remember to renew your domain before it expires, you run the risk of losing it and giving someone else the chance of purchasing it away from you. Talk about identity theft! Forgetting to renew your domain is like leaving your storefront unlocked, you’re just inviting someone to steal it away from you.
Most domain registrars will email out notices to let you know that your domain is due for renewal, so be sure you keep your contact info and email address up-to-date with your domain registrar so you will get their notifications. And, as an added precaution, you might add a reminder in your Outlook calendar to remind you a few weeks before your domain expires so you remember to renew it on time.
Verify your domain registration information is correct. Be sure your domain has been propertoy registered in your name. You can check this by going to http://www.whois.org/ and typing in your domain name. Be sure your name and contact information shows under the Registrant portion of the domain. If you have a webmaster who setup your domain for you, their name should show as the technical contact. But be sure your name is showing as the actual registrant for it. So, in case you have a falling out with your webmaster or need to move your site yourself, you want to be sure you have the information you need to take control of the situation and take control of your website domain if needed.
Here’s to Your Online Success!
Betty Walker, the Wise Web Lady
http://www.wiseweblady.com/
http://www.ccstechpros.com/
bettywalker@wiseweblady.com