twitter

Mar 10

Why You Should Share Videos, Audio and Photos

picture credit to wareseeker

Social media is often looked at as a text based networking solution. While many social networking sites are indeed text based, most also have the option for sharing photos, audio and videos, something that is sorely underused. Just look at Facebook, for example. While photos are rampant, when was the last time you shared a video on there? Or Twitter, for that matter?

Why should you use multi-media in social marketing? There are a number of good reasons, but the big one is that it makes you real and trustworthy.

The Real You. See, anyone can write anything online. You could be a 16 year old boy writing as a 50 year old woman . . . who would know the difference? Because of this anonymity that is so easy online, people have an automatic distrust of anyone they see just writing information on the web. A photo can drastically up the trust factor, one of the biggest reasons bloggers put a photo of themselves in their profile.

Photos, audio and videos give people a glimpse of who you are and that makes it easier for them to trust you. If you say you’re a 30 year old banker and then appear in a video, people realize that you aren’t faking it, you really are who you say you are. While there are many people who hide their true identity for assorted reasons, if you really want to burst through the barrier of not being trusted, then a quick video uploaded to YouTube can be just the ticket.

You don’t need to share anything terribly produced, even a quick 1 minute video where you explain something about your niche can be a great way to start out.

The Simple You. Another reason that people like to see photos and video of you is that it makes you more approachable. It’s easy to think that a guru is untouchable, someone almost godlike . . . but when you see them chatting away on video, you instantly realize that they are just another person like you. This means people will be more interested in interacting with you, something that is pretty important in social marketing.

Text will always be the base of interaction online, but by adding video, audio and photos, you can really change the way people look at you and react to you. They will be far more likely to trust someone they have “met” than an anonymous persona who tweets at them. Share yourself and the rewards will come.

Mar 09

Twitter TMI Syndrome and How to Avoid It

Social Media, Twitter 6 Comments »

Picture credit to 4.bp.blogspot

“Just changed the most nuclear diaper this year!”

“My ex is the worst pig on the planet and here’s a photo as proof.”

Don’t deny it, you’ve seen tweets just like this before. You may have even tweeted something similar yourself! These types of tweets tend to stem from Twitter TMI Syndrome, a self-destructive spiral that is very easy to fall into.

There’s a fine line between personal sharing and networking on Twitter. You can’t expect to talk about business 24/7 and never discuss anything else. It makes you seem like a robot. So most people encourage realism in tweeting and sharing a little personal information. It makes you seem real and encourages people to connect with you.

That being said, there is a line that is being crossed by even some important internet marketers who have fallen prey to the TMI Syndrome. TMI, or “too much information”, is something that happens on a regular basis and it’s not just bored housewives or adventurous college kids posting this stuff.

What exactly constitutes TMI? It can be hard to tell sometimes, but basically, if you are tweeting something that will make people go, “Whoa, why am I following this person?” then you need to stop. For example:

It’s fine to tweet about your new puppy. TMI is tweeting every time that puppy has an accident on your carpet.

People won’t mind if you let them know the cute way your 4 year old pronounces a word. They will mind if you tweet how he pronounces every single word throughout the day.

It’s not bad to share what you’re having for dinner at the Olive Garden. It’s not cool to share what you eat, snack and see in the kitchen every 10 minutes.

Tweeting that you don’t feel well is ok. Tweeting the details of bodily functions, not so much.

Let’s not forget the safety TMI. I pull my hair every time I see “hubby left for a month, alone with 3 kids” or “going on vacation for a week, hope the plants won’t die” – How about re-phrasing that with “please come and rape me, I can’t wait” or “be my guess while you steal in comfort for an entire week”. I don’t want to be sarcastic, but please, please you must stop. This is specially the case if you live outside the US, but even here it’s still considered TMI.

How to Stop It

You might not even realize that you’re posting TMI tweets. Go to your archives and take a good look at what is there. At least 80% of your tweets should be with your networking goals in mind. If you have a few that are just random fun, that’s ok, but you need to be careful.

Once you are aware of what you’re tweeting, it’s time to implement a wait period. When the urge to share hits you, write down the tweet in a text document or even on a sticky note and wait at least five minutes before you actually tweet it. Many people find that they just type and hit send without thinking too much about it. You’ll have far better results if you take the time to consider what you’re about to send out into cyberspace.

Think about what your goals are. Does this tweet help you reach them? Is it going to offend people? If so, is it worth losing followers over?

Do you suffer from Twitter TMI Syndrome? Do you know someone who does?

Tagged with: goals • Social Media • twitter

Feb 09

Social Media Scams: How to Spot Them

Social Media 17 Comments »

picture credit to mohtballmilstone.org

Like any other popular medium, scammers have begun to really attack social media. The problem is that it’s not always as easy as you might think to spot them. After all, the main point of social media is talk up our businesses and ourselves, right? Networking involves discussing what you do and leaving relevant links . . . but some people take this too far and use Twitter, Facebook and other sites to promote complete scams. Here’s how to spot them.

They promise to help you earn money. Social media works very well as a networking tool. It can be used to promote your business, too, but it’s not that great for actually raking in the cash. So, if you see someone offering to help you get rich on Twitter (or any other site, for that matter), beware! Too often, these scammers want you to send them money and they will share their secrets . . . or not.

Robot tweets. Twitter is probably the most vulnerable to auto messages, though other sites do have issues with this, as well. If you see the exact same message popping up on everyone’s accounts, you need to be careful. It’s probably being sent out automatically and without actually being recommended by the person who sent it.

Incorrect descriptions. When you see someone suggesting you take a look at their latest baby pic, then when you click you end up on a weight loss site, get out fast! This is a common scam, where the text is designed to make you want to click on the link, which actually takes you to a download page or requires you to sign in for something . . . which gives them your account name and password. You should also have an up to date anti-virus and anti-spyware program on your computer, since these sites can infect your computer.

People become your friend only to sell you things. While there are plenty of interesting, useful people on social media networks, you’ll find that there are also entirely too many who pretend to be interesting and friendly, but once you’ve accepted them, they start bombarding you with pyramid schemes and assorted other scams. This is usually because the only way for them to make their money back is to get you to join.

Using social media is a great way to build your brand for very little cost, but it can also cause you a lot of grief if you end up falling for one of the many, many scams out there. Be wary and just stay away from anyone who seems suspicious.

Tagged with: scam • Social Media • twitter

Jan 30

3 Social Media Mistakes You May Be Making

Intermediate Track, Social Media Classroom, Social Media for Business 10 Comments »

Social media is an excellent way to make valuable connections in your industry. Just about everyone who does any kind of business online is aware of the usefulness of social media sites, but that doesn’t mean they know how to use them. There are plenty of articles on how to make social media work for you, but today I’m going to look at some of the big mistakes that you could be making. These aren’t just little glitches that can be overlooked, they are mistakes that could destroy your online reputation or ruin your carefully built network.

Social Media Mistake 1

Going on a rant. When you’re using Twitter, Facebook, etc. on a daily basis, it’s easy to fall into a false sense of security. You feel that you’re among friends. And when that happens, it’s not difficult to move into other territory . . . where you start sharing personal information. This in itself isn’t bad, until something happens that makes you angry and you splash it all over the web.

Being upset about something is fine. Tweeting about how horrible your client is . . . not fine. In fact, it could lose you business. Even if your client or boss never realizes what you said, others will see it and realize that they don’t want to work with someone who blasts their personal vendettas across the social networks.

Social Media Mistake 2

Dropping off the face of the planet. Unfortunately, this happens quite often in social media because people start out with great intentions and then lose focus. When they come back a couple of months later, no one cares anymore.

You can easily avoid this problem by not overdoing things. There’s no need to post 50 times a day. A handful of posts will keep your presence up without taking too much time or energy and you won’t be overwhelmed and drop out. Social media is a very valuable method of promotion, so don’t waste it by burning out and disappearing for too long.

Social Media Mistake 3

Spamming. Most of us are aware that spamming is a bad idea . . . yet a lot of people are still flooding others with unwanted offers and ads. However, that isn’t the only way you can spam and you MIGHT be spamming without even realizing how offensive it is!

Are you signed up for one of those Twitter ad networks? If you’ve allowed them or any other site to publish auto-tweets then your followers are probably quite annoyed with the spam they get when you aren’t even online. Another way that many people spam is through auto responses to followers. When someone follows you, sending them a direct message with an ad is not a good way to make a nice first impression.

Are you making any of these mistakes? If so, you might want to reconsider how you handle your social networking before it’s too late.

Tagged with: Business • Social Media • social networking • spam • twitter

Jan 27

6 Ways to Make Social Media More Effective for Your Business

Social Media, Social Media for Business 6 Comments »

Social Media takes time and as a business owner, you probably don’t have a lot of extra time in your day. That means you need to make the most of your time on social media. There’s a lot more to it than just posting a few links and answering a couple of questions from your followers. If you really want to effectively network and market via social media, there are a few ways you can do it better.

Share links to people who promote you. Not only are you boosting their blog or site, you’re also boosting the number of people who will read about your product or service.
Use Google Alerts. You can use Google Alerts to find out when anyone talks about you or your niche and then promote those links on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.
Use multi-media. Don’t just talk . . . today’s internet user is savvy and wants all the information quickly and in various formats. Add video or photos or even audio to your social networking and watch your conversion rates rise.
Set up a landing page. Having a specific landing page designed for those who are checking out your profile on a social media site will help draw them in. Suggest links they might be interested in checking out and welcome them.
Be consistent. Don’t show up, post ten things and then vanish for a week. If you don’t have the time to check in on your social media networks on a daily basis, you can set up automatic tweets and posts. It’s important to let people know you are on the ball, though, so it’s best if you can check in daily to answer questions and respond to personal messages.
Optimize your profile. One of the first things that anyone will look for is your profile. What does it say about you? When you find a profile that hasn’t been filled out properly, you probably don’t follow that person because you know nothing about them. So, don’t be that person . . . fill in your profile with SEO and human friendly descriptions.

Don’t just make small talk on your social media networks, make them work for you! Another way to take advantage of your time is to use applications that allow you to post on one network and have the same thing show up on your other networks, saving you time and energy.

What are your methods for making your social media networking more effective?

Tagged with: effective • productivity • Social Media • twitter

Jan 20

Twitter or Facebook?

Beginner's Track, Social Media, Social Media Classroom, Twitter 10 Comments »

If you’re just starting out with social media, you might be wondering which of the more popular sites you need to be on. While you’re learning the ropes, it’s often best to start with just one social media network and get used to it, make lots of quality connections and then go from there.

At this point in time, the two biggest sites to get started on are Twitter and Facebook. You may already be using Facebook, as a friend finder and such, but if you are planning to move into the world of internet marketing and social networking, then you will need to look at this carefully before making any decisions.

Facebook

This site was originally intended as a site to help college grads find and connect with those that they studied with. However, over time it has changed drastically and is now quite popular among older people and business people.

Pros

Set up business “fan” pages to reach non-friends
Set up groups for any topic you like
Adjustable privacy settings

Cons

Can be perceived as unprofessional
Your friends and family can see business posts and become offended
Too many distractions in the form of games and such

Twitter

Twitter is also a social medium and could be used to report your toothbrush foam quantity on a daily basis, but it is generally more respected as a business setting. It can take a bit to get the hang of Twitter, but it is something you will need at some point if you plan on making social media a part of your life.

Pros

Well used and possibly the most popular real time social network available
Relatively simple to start off with, post, @messages and private messages
Extremely simple to connect with others
Many big companies use Twitter
A number of apps are available

Cons

Big target for spam
Information overload is VERY possible

It is really up to you as to which option you select as your first social media network. Both Twitter and Facebook are very good but you may be drawn to one or another once you’ve looked at the lists of pros and cons above. My recommendation is to use what you already have (Facebook) but also jump on Twitter as soon as you can. JJZDYX5TUMAZ

Which social media would you recommend to a beginner?

Tagged with: beginner • Facebook • Social Media Classroom • twitter

Dec 16

The Twitter Culture

Beginner's Track, Community, Social Media, Social Media Classroom 25 Comments »

I’ve become aware of the scrutiny and judgments around Shellie’s tragic incident (a mom whose 2 year old son drowned 2 days ago). I would like to shed some light to the tool but even more to the culture and practical application that Twitter has for its users (often called Twitters or Tweeps).

I am writing this post to the attention of the investigators, police officers, extended family and community members who have been personally touched by Bryson’s short life. The intention of my post is not to defend nor to accused. Instead, it is meant to give you a solid and objective idea of Twitter and what goes on inside its walls.

Twitter

An application with now billions of users. Currently the house of every business that care about its future and the house of organizations that care about their customers. Twitter is also the house of many people who constantly communicate, help, fight, sheer up, spam, sale, support and much more.

Communities

Believer or not, Twitter is really formed by communities. A group of people with a common denominator. Like most of us Shellie (Military_Mom) belongs in various communities: moms, military, marketers, bloggers and so forth.

Now the three big questions:

1) Why did Shellie spend so much time on Twitter?

There are many reasons people join this big community. By interacting with Shellie and reading her Tweets (messages on Twitter), I can share the following:

Work: Think about Twitter as a home business. Here are some examples how Shellie persuaded me to go to Wal-Mart and other clients for my Christmas shopping back in November:

@AnaRC walmart is free site to store shipping with excellent clearance too 8:47 AM Nov 19th from Echofon in reply to AnaRC

@AnaRC jcp.com has free shipping and 10 or 15 off purchases this weekend (now through Sat) toysRus has great clearance, and 8:46 AM Nov 19th from Echofon in reply to AnaRC

Before she sent me those tweets, we engaged in a conversation about how I leave everything to the last minute (including my shopping).

Attract Traffic to blog: As most of us in the online world, our blog is the main source of clients. Twitter is a great tool to bring traffic back to her blog from which Shellie writes product reviews, runs give-ways and has fun. The higher the traffic, the higher the sales and the more opportunities will come her way.

Source of knowledge: Like most of us, Shellie uses Twitter to find best practice, to read the latest trends in her business and also to share her two cents as the expert that she is.

Connector: Twitter is one of the best connectors out there. So to connect with brands, marketing officers and other moms (her target audience), Shellie engages on Twitter.

2) Was Shellie Twittering instead of watching Bryson?

If you look at the tweets around the time of the accident, the first one was at 4:30, then 4:31, another set of tweets at 5:17, 5:18, 5:19 and 5:21. To the final tweet after 6 when she cries for prayers to the Twitter community.

I can assure you that when a person is exclusively “twittering” he/she would normally tweet 1 tweet a minute. Therefore Shellie was obviously doing something else other than Twitter.

3) How can she tweet after her son is dead?

Apart from the fact that people have different reactions to tragedy and one never knows until the moment arrives (hoping for a never). I can only share my personal story here.

Last Friday, I was on my way to Washington D.C. heading to a Latism conference. I had also combined the trip with a consultancy job with the World Bank and another meeting with the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education (USHYEE). However it was the first snow in Rochester, NY and my car went off the road. All of the sudden, I was buried in snow and since it was 7:07 AM, there weren’t many people on the highway.

5 years ago I would have called 911 but last Friday, I sent a Tweet and the usual magic happened:

911: I did end up calling them at 7:10 (3 minutes after my tweet) only to hear “yes madam, we’ve received 36 calls already. We’re on our way” by the time I hanged up they were already there.

Meeting 1: my secretary text me “I’m rescheduling the meeting on Skype and sending you the presentation electronically”

Meeting 2: they sent me a DM (direct message that’s private between two people) just saying “we’re aware, will reschedule”

The car: 2 friends from my ROC community not only called the towing company but they even provided a credit card number in case I didn’t have cash on me. The towing service was there within minutes with a big “I’ve been paid smile”

Prayers: other cars were having the same problem as I had on the curve and I worried about a bad accident. My prayer community was on, sending me all the angels, messages of encouragement and hope.

Flight: Even though I wasn’t very lucky with my travel agent, my airline waved the change fee and booked me into the next flight.

Extras: I received over 70 messages, direct messages, texts, phone calls and more. All offering help, prayers & support.

Now, do you get the power of that tweet? Not only did I save myself over 14 calls (to 911, my secretary, World Bank, USHY, D.C. friends, people in my prayer network & family) but I certainly felt surrounded by a support system. This wasn’t chance. This was the result of a presence and a community building that takes place every day. One tweet at a time. When I sent that tweet, I knew what was going to happen. My communities would jump to help, the same way I’ve helped others in need. The same reason why I’m writing such a long post for Shellie.

I hope that my story helps you understand why Shellie twitted during her tragedy. She cried for help: “Please pray …..

And if you are still in doubt, please have the courage to link to Shellie’s support system on Twitter. You’ll see that messages of encouragement, sympathy and blessings have been nonstop. If still in doubt, please join the conversation tomorrow at 9:00 pm EST on Twitter. I can assure you that you’ll be moved.

I’ve been consulting for public and private organizations to help them understand how their customers are using social media. Also how they can use it to engage and reach certain goals. This job has given me enough exposure to every level of perception of Twitter by “the big guys”. There are also false myths and stereotypes about “mommy bloggers”.

Often when I ask provocatively to my clients if they think I’m a mommy blogger, their answer is NO! as a mother of four young children who blogs for her business, I must break the news: I am a “mommy blogger” and it is an honor for me to be the voice to a fellow colleague during such difficult time. I am happy to talk to any of the agents involved in this case free of charge. As long as it serves to shed more objective light to the situation.

I have seen a common denominator among Shellie’s tougher judges. They’re Twitter newbies. This will also be the case of the majority of the investigators, family members, educators and so forth. The first reaction is to blame the unknown (in this case “Shellie’s presence on Twitter” and to jump to easy conclusions as a result of anger and fear. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 300 children drown every year and over 3,000 end up with serious injuries. I’m pretty sure these stats have not been altered by Twitter.

One last thing. Think twice before you judge and count to 5,000 before you write or say anything that could hurt a grieving mom.

Tagged with: Military_Mom • Social Media • twitter

Dec 09

Quick Ways to Pump Up Your Online Presence

Intermediate Track, Social Media Classroom 3 Comments »

Photo credit to National Geographics

Sometimes we need to get noticed quickly. Maybe you have a product launch coming up or a charity function and you need to get a lot of people to pay attention quickly. Usually, social media is a fairly slow burner method . . . you work steadily to gain followers and interest and it can take a while. So what do you do when you need a quick burst? Well, here are a few ways to pump up your online presence rapidly, without stressing.

Note: these are not meant to be used long term, they are merely techniques to give you a quick boost.

1. Hold a contest.

It doesn’t have to be a big contest, you can easily just do a small giveaway. If you don’t have anything to give away, contact someone who does. Then choose your venue, be it Twitter, Facebook, etc. and ask people you know to spread the word about the contest. Perhaps the contestants have to follow you in order to enter, or sign up for your newsletter, etc. There are a lot of options here and contests tend to go viral on sites like Twitter, so you can expect to gain a rapid following.

2. Go on a friending spree.

If you want lots of people to follow you or befriend you, the best way to go about this is to simply befriend a lot of other people. You can search Twellow and other similar sites to get good contacts that are interested in what you have to offer.

Often, when you follow someone on Twitter or befriend them on another site, you will get followers back within 24 hours. Depending on how many you befriend, you could end up with a large number of followers. Do be careful, however, and read the rules, since some sites, such as Facebook, will put a limit on your account if you try to befriend too many people all at once.

3. Tell people you’re close to a milestone.

You’ve probably seen those tweets where someone says that their friend is just 14 followers away from reaching 5,000 . . . well, you can use that same method to gain yourself. Look at your next milestone, be it 10,000 followers or 500 and let people know that you need a certain number to hit it. Then watch your numbers start rising as others help you reach your goal. Obviously, this one only works if you really are close to a milestone.

From time to time, we just need to increase our followers. It doesn’t really matter if you’re just trying to get a boost before you add a counter to your blog, or if you’re trying to gain some publicity before you launch a new ebook or product.

Remember that people still won’t follow you if you aren’t posting good comments and interacting with the community, so stay on top of that. It will be somewhat time intensive in the beginning, but you will reap the benefits.

Tagged with: followers • product launch • Social Media • twitter

Nov 27

How to Alienate People on Twitter

Beginner's Track 25 Comments »

How to allianate on twitter

If you’re a numbers watcher, you’ve probably noticed that your number of followers fluctuates constantly on Twitter. While this is normal, you do want to keep the vast majority watching your updates. It’s pretty easy to do something wrong, though. If you aren’t sure why people are unfollowing you in droves, it might be time to check out my list on how to alienate people on Twitter.

Never follow back. While you don’t necessarily have to follow everyone back, never following anyone isn’t going to win you too many friends. It’s an excellent method for getting rid of . . . well, just about everyone!
Ignore direct and @ messages. When someone tries to initiate contact with you, ignoring them is a great way to ensure that they never attempt to talk to you again. Sensitive people might not try after one ignore, others will try a few times and then give up. If you hang in there, pretty soon only robots will be talking to you.
Disappear for long periods of time. This is one of the best ways to lose followers. If you’re inactive, they will assume you’re gone and remove you from their lists. Many use automatic unfollows for this, so you don’t even have to personally offend anyone.
Post only complaints. If all your updates are complaining about your back pain, the fact that your spouse doesn’t help out enough around the house, etc. you can bet most people will never even start following you! It’s a great way to get rid of most of your existing followers, too.
Badmouth other businesses. While Twitter can be an excellent forum for exchanging experiences with companies, it shouldn’t become a place to air your dislike of every business you come across. As soon as people see this, they will tend to avoid you . . . no one wants their own business to be put down!
Talk about mundane things. Mentioning what you’re having for lunch isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a blow by blow of your trip to work, every person you see along the way, your bathroom stops, etc. is definitely too much for most people. You can expect to see a drastic drop in followers if you decide to go this route.

Obviously you don’t want to alienate people on Twitter, so make sure you do the opposite of everything I’ve listed here. You’ll end up with happier followers and over time, you’ll be able to really network with them.

Tagged with: Community • followers • Social Media • twitter

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