Do you know who takes the time to view your website, your blog or perhaps your Facebook fan page? With the wonderful service from Facebook (those of us with fan pages are automatically enrolled) you can find out if you have new subscribers to your fan page or if you have people dropping out. In this way you can gauge the level of interest in your message.
Here is part of the content supplied and an example below:
+5 Fans this week (1,245 total Fans)
55 Wall Posts, Comments, and Likes this week (43 last week)
240 visits to your page this week (222 visits last week)
This gives you an idea of the traffic to your website and a comparison of the numbers from the previous week. You can also plan to launch a campaign to obtain more visitors and engage more chatter. There are many ways you can do this. The site I listed above is a ministry site, so that works a bit different than a website that has a business focus.
For example looking at the Wall Post comments the numbers slightly increased from the previous week but a very small portion of the "fans" are engaging in conversation on the site. Therefore I have several options. One is to engage more directly, add a blog post or message or give relevant information that will compel those in the group to respond.
Another item of interest is the number of visits and the numbers of fans. Again the numbers are low which can mean those who stopped by did so by accident or by searching for relevant key words. Many decided not to join. Again, food for thought and the plan would be to create content that would engage the visitor as well as the end user compelling them to stay and join.
An option is to use a service such as Google analytics to run numbers on page views, geographic demographics and similar type of information. Don't let the weeks go by without posting some type of comment or information. I have done this with my business site and the momentum once started has begun to wane. Keep the marketing consistent and you'll enjoy very good results.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
What are your Social Media Fan Page Stats?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Getting Linked on Linked In
To recap on the last few posts, we have covered an overview of LinkedIn and the importance of a complete profile. Now it is time to invite and look for current friends on this network. Where do you begin? The obvious place is your email list.
Before you import your entire list, carefully consider your reason for being a member of this social network. This is the business world filled with many potential advantageous contacts. It is not necessarily the person you are connected to. . . it is perhaps someone they know one, two, three or more people down the line that may turn into a valuable business laison. Once you have determined your focus, invite your selected email contacts.
If your contact does not have a LinkedIn account, this invitation may inspire them to create one. There are many ways to add to your contact list. In the next post we will discuss the importance of groups. When you join groups you have a connection with those other group members. This connection should not be exploited. You must be careful to abide by the LinkedIn rules and protocol. If you are unsure of this go to LinkedIn and view the getting started video.
You may search for specific people on this network. You can key in their names, look under a company or search by key words. Sending a connection request is an adventure in itself. You are required to check a box describing how you know this person.
How do you know __________(Person's Name Goes Here)?
- I don't know _________
If you click "other" a box will pop open that requests you place the person's email address in the box. In that way you are insuring at least some knowledge of the person.
(optional) And the personal note that LinkedIn automatically includes is...
I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
- Felice Gerwitz
If you click I don't know be careful. The person receiving the email request may click IDK (I don't know). This "counts" against you. If your receive too many of these, your account may be suspended on LinkedIn with no recourse. Social media sites are very protective of keeping a semblance of protection to their users in their site verbage. It is highly recommended that you know the person, share a group, or have a connection somewhere that can introduce you. I never click IDK to someone who requests a connection but will archive the request in the event that I do not want to connect.
This is the beauty of LinkedIn. If you see a person you'd like to have as a connection, you may see where in the "family tree" they reside. Perhaps one of your current connections has a direct link or they are somewhere down the family tree. In this way, you can request an introduction to the person through this first connection of yours.
Either way, connections on LinkedIn are very valuable. There are open networkers and groups of open networkers that join for the sole purpose of growing their numbers. If you are interested in this method of quickly growing your group connections this may be an option.
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
Friday, April 2, 2010
Facebook Lite
A few months ago, Facebook introduced Facebook Lite – a pared down version of Facebook for people who were frustrated with the ever-sluggish load time of the normal Facebook homepage. This lite version is blazing fast compared to the dismal experience of regular Facebook.
The speed increase is great – but there is an added bonus that isn’t widely publicized Using Facebook Lite, you will never see another application notification again.
There is a way to set Facebook Lite as your default view. Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to http://lite.facebook.com/settings/defaultsite/
2. Select Facebook Lite from the radio boxes
3. Click “Save”
Marsha Marsiglio
www.thesoftwarecoach.com
239-431-5456
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!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Social Media: Facebook Fan Pages for Business
Facebook has become a household word. Once used mainly by college students to stay connected, the site has grown to millions of users, many of them business people. If you have toyed with the idea of creating, a Facebook Fan page or a Facebook Business Page here is the bottom line...do it only if you have something of value to offer...and choose wisely.
Facebook is constantly changing and updating their website. As of this writing, it is better to create a Facebook Fan page for your business rather than a Business Page or Group Page. Why? Well the main differences are as follows:
• You can have many more followers than on a home page
• You can add applications to the page, such as a sign up box to capture emails
• You can get statistics for your page
• Once you have more than 1000 fans, you can get a custom url.
• Fan pages are indexed by the search engines which gets you in front of anyone that may search for your brand or product
• Fan pages are available to the general public, so people that are not on Facebook can access them.
• Your fan page will show up in your followers News Feed
• You can advertise your fan page and place links back to your website or blog
So how do you get fans on your Facebook Fan page? One way is to invite using the list on your facebook home page; another is to build dynamic content causing others to join because of the value you will give them through your posts. For example, if you are in the Real Estate business, you can talk about community activities, great communities to live in and information, such as how to choose the right home for your family needs. In that way, others will want to join your fan page to find out more information and will let others know. You can find possible clients from this page as it is indexed in search engines spreading your reach even further.
If someone becomes a Fan on your Facebook Fan page, it will show up on his or her page as a follower. In that way, their followers will see who you are and if interested, they will follow as well. A fan page also allows you to advertise on facebook. An icon will crop up that will prompt you in this manner if you care to join the growing number of advertisers. Let your fans know about upcoming sales, promotions and so much more. You can also dialogue with your fans, post notes and keep in touch. Relationships in business are invaluable!
Questions? Let me know how I can help you to jump-start your fan page.
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, November 18, 2009
Getting More Blog Traffic
More Traffic to Your Blog
by Felice Gerwitz
So, you have a blog. You took the time to format, check and double check those keywords. And you find that you don't have any blog traffic. How do you get people flocking to your blog? Advertise. How?
The Problem:
Many people approach blogs in the opposite way that they approach other business ventures. No one would think about opening a store front and then letting people know about it. There would be all kinds of promotions, grand-openings, announcements, and/or print ad campaigns to let people know about your new business. It is no different online. One of the best was of getting more traffic to your blog is by advertising, and I don't mean click ads although they can be effective, they are costly. Yes, you need a blog in order to advertise it, but once you do, all your other social network and print ads need to be in place.
The Solution:
Let your facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social network followers know about your blog. Use blog widgets to allow your readers to send the information about your blog, easily to their social network sites.
Twitter and Facebook users are always looking for good content for their followers. A blog post that is a good read will be happily tweeted by your followers. Create a link so that the reader can easily do this with a push of a button. There are all types of add ons for your browser that make this easy. We will discuss some of these application in future posts on using social networking.
Other Quick Ways to Get More Blog Traffic
- In your signature line in emails.
- On your business card
- Letterhead stationary, brochures
- Website
- In your newsletter
- Print Ad
- Banner ads
- Forums
- Responding to other blog posts
- Article writing
- Social networking
- Plaxo
- Youtube
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Social Media: Networking Online
Part 1
Mastering Time:
Time is the number one commodity we own and the most valuable. In order to run our businesses and become the most efficient we need to master the time-monster. It eats away at so much of our day. I think the last time I heard someone say, “Time just goes so slowly,” was a childhood friend as we awaited the approach of Christmas. We all want to learn short-cuts, what works, and how to minimize our time online and get more bang for the buck!
Social Networking: Time Thief
As I determine the biggest time robber in my daily life the finger squarely points at social networking, online. Several years ago everyone in my business (I’m an author), jumped in squarely with both feet and took off running. Some of them stumbled, shook off the dust, and took off again. Others sat right where they fell and decided never to get up again. I took the cautionary and scholarly approach, I studied. Not only did I study social networking for almost two years, keeping up with the head dizzying trends, but I joined several social networking membership sites. The old adage you get what you paid for was correct. I received much for the thousands of dollars I invested.
Wisdom in Your Approach to Social Media
What I learned was to be cautious, to be smart, and to be on the cutting edge. One of the things, surprisingly missing from my classes, was to be a friend. Yes, value was mentioned, in “value laden posts”, or “value driven offers”, but none of the classes I took really discussed the nuances of being a friend, first and foremost. All of marketing boils down to one important ingredient: relationships. We like doing business with people we trust, products we like, or helpful individuals.
Be a Friend First
If you learn nothing else about the business of social networking, please know that being a friend and being trustworthy should come foremost in your dealings. No one would believe the marketing ploy with headlines blazing, “Hi! I’m Trustworthy! Give me Your Money!” Yet, everyday we see posts from people wanting us to join a membership site, purchase an eBook or opt-in to one more mailing list (giving our overtaxed email address and name) to receive a worthless eBook product. Unfortunately, these people have given all online marketers a bad name.
The Big-4: Blogging, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
In the next few posts we will discuss the nuances of social networking and etiquette, online. We will discuss what I term the Big-4. For me they are Blogging, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you don’t know what they are, go ahead and study them. I also urge you to proceed with caution. Remember, the internet is a great place but news travels fast. You will want to set up some precautions and check those security features on you online accounts. If unsure it is better to be cautious.
Here are some tips I have gathered lately about creating a Blog. If you have not entered the world of Blogging but have a website you will want to see if you can enable an RSS feature. Without becoming too technical, this is a way for your information will be updated and sent to subscribers. Feed features are one of the key reasons blogs are so powerful. Your information (if worthwhile) can be accessed easily by readers.
Your Customer Base
A blog is a place to point your customers so they can get to know you. In the arena of social media we are told to not even try to sell unless you have thousands (yes, thousands) of contacts. To begin to attract more customers, you should make sure your blog includes:
Keyword rich content: give the search engines something to find that is keyword specific
- Content that is informative, entertaining, or at the very least contains value
- Be Social: let others know about your posts via social media connections, do not go overboard
- Keep your content unique, this is very important, don’t plagiarize
- Keep your focus narrow but don't be narrow focused: you can talk about different related topics but make sure it reflects your mission statement or marketing plan
- Your calling card: your blog reflects Y*O*U…make sure it shines
- Applications: use them or loose them. If you aren’t using the apps that your blog has available to you, you won’t be driving traffic the way you should.
- Learn: After two years I know how much I do not know. Take at least fifteen minutes or more each week to learn more about social media, and share it with a friend
- Be a Friend: this means post a response on this blog and others, email it to a friend and help to propagate the message.
- Follow a Blog, visibly. Help the numbers by following other blogs
Next Post: Blog Basics, time saving devices
Felice Gerwitz
Speaker, Author, Publisher, Consultant to Aspiring Authors
http://www.InformationInANutshell.com
http://www.MediaAngels.com
http://www.MediaAngels.com/socialnetworking